THE HEAT is on for firefighters taking part in a 24-hour cycling challenge across the county this weekend.

Cyclists will tackle a route stopping at all 24 of Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service’s fire stations and raise money for five local charities at the same time.

Starting and finishing at Trowbridge, the route will pass through Stratton, Swindon and Westlea in the early hours of Sunday morning. Over a dozen cyclists have already signed up for the whole route, which stretches over 190 miles, although participants can join the event at any stage.

Organiser Andy Mumford aims to raise money to support the Fire Fighters Charity, as well as Wiltshire Air Ambulance, SWIFT Medics, Hope Nature Centre, Stepping Stones pre-school and Dorothy House Hospice.

He said: “We’ve asked those taking part to raise sponsorship, so we’re hopeful of collecting a decent sum.

“We don’t want this to be a race, so we’ve set out timings for when we intend to arrive at each fire station.

The event is the first in a series of events being organised by staff at Trowbridge fire station to mark its 50th anniversary at its current location on Hilperton Road.

Each stage is a different length from 3.1 miles for the shortest to nearly 15 miles for the longest. To join the team as it passes through Swindon visit Stratton station at 12.54 am, Swindon at 1.14 am and Westlea at 1.36 am.

More information is available at www.trowbridge5for50.co.uk.