FOUR Launceston ladies recently took part in the Ladies Driving Challenge at RAF Portreath, Redruth which was organised by the Fire Fighters Charity and supported by Cornwall County Fire Brigade.

The Ladies Driving Challenge, held last year for the first time, gives women who have pre-registered the chance to drive a once-in-a-lifetime variety of large and unusual vehicles. Participants will be able to try their hand at manoeuvring a range of different vehicles including fire engines, police cars, ambulances, JCBs, articulated lorries, buses, coaches and possibly even a tank, all kindly donated by local organisations.

Ken Yeo, Lib Dem Executive Member for Public Protection said: "Behind the fun, there is an opportunity to help fund The Fire Fighters Charity. This charity supports our heroic firefighters who risk their lives for us. Every day they tackle incidents that involve the potential risk of serious injury.

"Despite rigorous training and top quality equipment, things can and do go wrong and when this happens it's not only the firefighters who suffer, but also their families.

"The Fire Fighters Charity is the only charity dedicated to supporting firefighters and their families in times of need. I hope that lots of ladies will register for the event and raise lots of money to support this worthwhile cause."

Lisa Frain, Kathryn Hill, Sarah Chapman and Victoria Williams from the Launceston area took part in the Ladies Driving Challenge. They raised almost £500 in sponsorship, which helped to reach the £40,000 total for the charity.