A TEAM of Wiltshire firefighters swapped saving lives for counting miles when they completed a 24- hour charity cycle challenge.

The group of intrepid cyclists aimed to take in all 24 of the Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service’s fire stations in one day, and raise £2,000 for two charities in the process.

Cyclists began in Devizes at noon on July 24 before using pedal power to reach stations including Stratton, Swindon, Westlea, Cricklade, Royal Wootton Bassett, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Salisbury, Marlborough, Malmesbury, Chippenham and Calne before heading back to Devizes.

The Magnificent Seven team who completed the full 195-mile route included firefighters from Devizes, Trowbridge, Potterne and Melksham and they raised more than £1,700 for the Fire Fighters’ Charity and the Epilepsy Society.

Organiser Mike Cleaver, an oncall firefighter in Devizes, said the team had to battle against the British weather for the first part of their ride.

“The weather was really against us for the first 12 hours, with almost non-stop rain,” he said.

“However, things brightened up on the Saturday morning and we were able to finish ahead of time, which was brilliant.

“We left Devizes with 18 riders – four rode with us as far as Trowbridge, and six rode as far as Salisbury.

“Sadly, one rider suffered an injury on the way to Amesbury and had to pull out.

“But we had three new riders join us on the Saturday morning and that meant we were able to do the last quarter of the route as a group of ten.

“With outriders from Moonrakers Motorcycle Club in Devizes, and a back-up team of volunteers from within the Fire Service, the seven of us who managed the whole thing were well supported from start to finish.”

The cyclists rolled into Stratton fire station at 3.30am for a hearty meal of lasagne and a hero’s welcome, which was served up by the Plymouth Brethren’s Rapid Response team and Stratton’s White Watch team.

From Stratton the riders got back in the saddle, visiting Drove Road and Westlea fire stations, then on to Cricklade and Royal Wootton Bassett.

Money raised through sponsorship and donations will be shared equally between the charities, and they still hope to break through their £2,000 target with last minute donations.

To donate visit www.virginmoneygiving.com /cyclewiltshire195.