A CALLINGTON firefighter spent the weekend participating in the Samworth Charity Challenge to raise funds for Children with Cancer UK and the Fire Fighters Charity.

Matt Borlase, competing in a team with three others from the Cornwall Bakery in Callington (Tomasz Chudziak, Mark Deeley and Chris Gatcum – pictured above) against 28 others, took to the Brecon Beacons to participate in three consecutive disciplines: a 45-kilometre cycle, a 15-kilometre trail run to the summit of Pen y Fan (which stands at 886m above sea level) and a 10-kilometre canoeing stint, using map skills to locate various checkpoints where teams were scored accordingly depending on location and difficulty. Teams had nine hours to complete the three activities with one mandatory break. The team with the most points won.

Matt’s team finished in third place in the ‘super tough’ category, landing them an extra £500 to give to both charities. So far they have raised a total of £2,800 and their fundraising page remains open for anyone who still wishes to donate.

Matt said: ‘My inspiration was purely to raise money for charities and take in the whole experience of the event amongst the most amazing scenery. The feeling of completing such a challenge is fantastic and something that I hope to continue doing in the coming years as the event happens every two years. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated.’