Two charitable firefighters which gave up their bank holiday to walk 35-miles with three stone on their backs, have been praised by their employer and colleagues.

Bollington Fire Station employees Jack Drogan and Tom Ladds decided to walk The Gritstone Trail in its entirety, in full fire kit, to raise money for charity.

The arduous task took 84000 steps, 17-and-a-half hours, and steely determination.

But the pair persevered, and have now totted up the total amount of money that they have fundraised for The Fire Fighters Charity.

With just a few days to go until the fundraiser shuts, the grand total going to a good cause is £4266.

Including Gift Aid, a further £962.75 has also been raised for The Fire Fighters Charity.

Alex Byers, Community Fundraiser for The Fire Fighters Charity, is eternally grateful for the Bollington firefighters efforts and donations from the wider Macclesfield community.

"That is an absolutely incredible amount raised, and thank you for all the hard work that went into raising the money," she said.

"From all of us at The Fire Fighters Charity, thank you for getting behind the guys, and donating to this fantastic challenge that they have taken on.

"Each year, we need to raise £12 million to provide the services that we offer, and we do not receive any government funding.

"So we really do appreciate your support, and any money raised will help our fire family."

The Fire Fighters Charity offers a 24-hour support line, as well as counselling sessions, for firefighters and their families.

They will also support the physical health of firefighters, such as those who are injured or have a long-term condition.

And it is not just those tackling the blaze that gets help from them, with fire support staff also able to access the services of the 81-year-old charity.

The Fire Fighters Charity also offers financial support to firefighters off work due to health reasons.

Fire service personnel, as well as their spouses, partners and dependants, can access their services even into retirement.

When asked about whether they would do the challenge again, Jack joked "definitely not'" but reiterated "Thank you so much for the donations."

A video detailing more about the charity and the Bollington firefighters arduous fundraising, can be viewed ate the top of the article.

The lad's' employers Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service were contacted by Macclesfield Nub News for comment.

Group Manager Matt Barlow, who looks after all the fire stations in Cheshire East, is proud of the lads.

"We are all immensely proud of Tom and Jack for their fantastic success," said Matt.

"The Fire Fighters Charity is invaluable in supporting our staff and their families, as well as retired staff. Wearing full fire kit and breathing apparatus is, of course, an every day routine for our operational staff but to walk the entire 35 miles of the Gritstone Trail with it on is an amazing achievement for such a worthwhile cause.

"We sadly lost three serving colleagues to cancer last year and the Charity's support has been invaluable."

In total, 208 people donated to Tom and Jack's fundraiser, which you can still donate to for a few days via this link.

Macclesfield: You can find more about what The Fire Fighters Charity does on this link.