Two young firefighters-in-the-making trekked 28 miles while wearing full fire gear to raise money for charity.

Liam Sharples, 17, and Keegan Milligan, 17, both from Workington, walked from Keswick Fire Station to Workington Fire Station, in aid of the North West Air Ambulance charity.

The two young men, who are fire cadet watch managers, made the journey on Good Friday.

Kian Wells, 18, had been due to join them but could not take part because he was unwell.

Liam said: “It was very challenging. Not so much the weather but doing it in full kit. We didn’t realise how hard it would be.

"It was very hot and we had very restrictive movement."

Liam, a student at Newton Rigg College, said they had misjudged the distance of the journey which they thought would be 23 miles. However, the route they took was actually 28-and-half miles, which they completed in 10 hours.

“We were very pleased we managed to do it. We were crawling to the finish line," he admitted.

“It was a few days’ recovery. This is the first day I’ve not been in pain.”

Liam said the support they received from the community kept them going.

“We had lovely messages coming through all day. It was amazing to see the support from the public. It really meant a lot.

“We had a few people taking photos of us and waving and cheering us on. It definitely kept me going, anyway.”

The youngsters have raised £1,185 for the North West Air Ambulance charity.

“I’m very, very pleased,” said Liam.

They wanted to do something to help the air ambulance service, which Liam says has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

He said: “The air ambulance do life-saving work. The work they do is amazing. They are screaming out for funds because Covid has hit them hard.

"They are struggling to keep the helicopter in the air so we thought we would help them. They are an amazing service and do an amazing job.”

The pair work closely with the fire service and wanted to give back to the community.

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/liam-sharples2