STAFF at Challengers, who provide play and leisure schemes for disabled children and young people across Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, braved temperatures of up to 800 degrees as they competed in a firewalk, raising £2,500 for the charity.

Chloe and Sophie’s Special Ears Fund organised the firewalk, which took place at Tongham Community Centre, and invited Challengers to come along and take part as well.

A team of 15 brave walkers made up of Challengers’ staff, parents, siblings and supporters took to the coals and raised a collective £2,500 for the charity.

The evening kicked off with a training session before everyone got the chance to walk across the hot coals one at a time whilst the crowd cheered them on.

The money raised in the firewalk will be put towards an array of activities for the scheme’s children and young people to take advantage of, including the mobile farm, which visits Challengers with lots of furry animals for the children and young people to meet, hold and stroke.

Phoebe Day, Challengers’ community fundraising manager, supported the team of 15 and braved the firewalk herself. She said: “My job as a community fundraising manager is to rope everyone else into doing things, I thought it was about time I stepped up to the mark myself.

“It was an incredible experience that I will not forget in a hurry – the first couple of steps were terrifying, especially when the instructor shouted out a temperature reading of 800 degrees, but knowing that it was all for an amazing cause spurred me on to complete the walk.

“We would like to say a special thanks to Chloe and Sophie’s Special Ears Fund who hosted the event and invited Challengers to take part.”