A firefighter from Saltash smashed the fundraising target of his 20-mile charity walk by 665 per cent to raise £1,330 for the Fire Fighters Charity.

Lee Russell undertook the 20-mile charity challenge walk along the pedestrian cantilever of the Tamar bridge to celebrate 20 years in the fire service.

The crew manager at Saltash Fire Station had already surpassed the target of £200 set before even setting foot on the bridge on Saturday.

Torrential rain for most of the day did little to dampen spirits but definitely intensified the challenge for the firefighter wearing full firefighting kit, and breathing apparatus weighing an additional 30 KG. 

He started the walk at 7am finishing around 1.30pm, and was accompanied along the walk by firefighting colleagues. Just metres from the fire station on the homeward stretch, he was forced to walk back some distance to ensure he made up the 20 miles. 

He said: “It was one of the hardest challenges I've taken on, requiring both the physical ability and the mental strength to keep going, but it was all worth it having raised £1,330 for the Fire Fighters Charity. 

“It was fantastic to see how much support we had from the local community.”