TURN on, tune in, but don?t drop off ? that was the mission for Okehampton radio presenter Matt Woodley who last week took part in a 24-hour sponsored broadcast for charity.

Matt stayed on air on BBC Radio Devon from noon on Friday to Saturday lunchtime to raise money for the station?s Chestnut Appeal which aims to raise £1-million to build a prostate cancer unit at Derriford Hospital.

The total raised currently stands at £20,000, but Matt said there were still a number of sponsorship forms coming in to bolster it.

Listeners were also able to watch the bags under Matt?s eyes grow over the 24-hour period thanks to a live webcam in the studio.

Matt said he had two difficult moments during the marathon broadcast. ?At about 6pm, on Friday night, although I had only been on air for six hours, doubts started to creep into my mind, because the voice started to croak.

?I hadn?t thought about whether the voice was going to last or not, but a couple of bites of pizza and something to drink and the voice seemed to recover.?

Matt said he really started flagging at about 5am on Saturday morning. ?A couple of jogs around the car park during the news bulletins helped. Come nine o?clock with the telephone lines buzzing, I didn?t feel so bad,? he said.

Matt said he received ?fantastic support? from listeners, and from those watching his progress through the studio webcam. Friends and family also joined him in the studio at various times to lend their support.

Matt said the idea of a 24-hour broadcast had appealed to him for a long time. ?It is something I?ve always wanted to do, and with the Chestnut Appeal, it seemed like the perfect time to go ahead.

?I enjoyed it but we should not forget the reason behind it was to raise money for the Chestnut Appeal and prostate cancer,? he said.

Matt said he had 15 hours? sleep on Saturday night, which helped him to recover. By 9am on Monday morning, the plucky broadcaster was back on air on Judi Spiers? show.

More fundraising events are planned at Radio Devon to raise awareness of prostate cancer.