A TROOP of intrepid scouts walked from Land's End to John O’Groats – without leaving a church hall.

The 19th Swindon Scout group, which operates in the Parks and Lawns area, devoted 21 hours to the epic 780-mile feat, at the Queens Drive Methodist Church Hall, in Whitbourne Avenue.

Scout members took it in turns to circle the hall more than 28,000 times, with each member doing an average 1,000 lap.

The 28-strong group of youngsters aged between 10 and 14 started the challenge at 6.30pm on Friday and pushed through until 3.30pm the following afternoon Assistant scout leader Luke Winton said the children were exhausted but exhilarated to have completed the challenge.

“There were a few tired faces but everyone was so excited especially when it got to the final few laps,” he said.

“People were dancing and then there was a final few congas before the finish line.

"The kids couldn’t believe they had done it and we were really proud of them all.”

All proceeds from the event will go towards Cancer Research UK. which conducts research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the deadly disease.

It also provides information about cancer and runs campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the disease and influencing public policy.

The event was the brainchild of 19th Swindon Scout leader Alan Finnigan who calculated the distance that would be needed to walk round the church hall, an estimated 28,000 laps.

Thanks to their use of a stage as a bed the team walked through the night and completed the mammoth task ahead of schedule.

Luke said: “They were sleeping on the stage but they were up bright and early because they were keen to finish.

“There was a really lively atmosphere considering they had had very little sleep. There was music playing and we played some apt songs such as the Proclaimers' 50 miles which got everyone ready to go.

And Luke revealed the children gave their Scout’s honour that they would complete the gruelling test.

He said: “They said they would complete it one way or another so we all had faith in them. They wanted to raise as much money as they possibly could.

“They all collapsed straight afterwards and went home to bed. It was a very long day for all of us but so much fun.”

For more information on the scouts visit www.19th-swindon.org.uk, and for more information about Cancer Research, visit www.cancerresearchuk.org.