PICTURE GALLERY: An amazing £2,253 has been raised by the I’m a Firefighter Get Me Out Of Here challenge over the weekend, which saw firefighters take part in a number of challenges including bug eating, tug of war and searching for stars in a seaweed-filled pool – not to mention having their legs, backs and chests waxed by the public.
Starting at 17:00 on Saturday afternoon, two teams of firefighters from the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service began their 24hr charity event, raising funds for Wessex Cancer Trust, Alzheimers Care UK, Cruse Bereavement Care, Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus, Parkinsons UK, Families of Ocean Ward and The Firefighters Charity.
Slipping and sliding across mats, each team mate took it in turns to don safety gear and jump into a pool filled with seaweed, all in the search for stars held within. 
Easy it may seem, but the water-filled pool soon became ‘soup’ according to firefighter and compare for the weekend, Damon Corr. It was the blue team of Mark Augustus, Jonathan Staff, Mark Grimes and Dan Smith that took the round victory.
Attention soon turned to the next challenge, which saw Duncan Farman and Mark Augustus go head-to-head on a starter, main and drink of a different kind (featured image), which included a creepy critter, a pig’s hoof and a blended mix of pig’s insides supplied by D.W Jarvis butchers of Ryde.
The challenges continued into the evening with a tug of war and resumed first thing on Sunday morning in some appalling conditions as the heavens opened. As the day progressed the sun shone once again as the firefighters battled one another in a bid to gain the most donations in their bucket to be crowned King of the Jungle.
It was the Blue team that took overall victory after a long 24 hours which meant the Red Team of Duncan Farman, Alex Boirand, Mark Saunders and Kev Beckett not only suffered defeat, but had to put on a performance to remember. To the stage took Duncan and Alex to perform a melody of songs dressed in comical costume as the late Queen front man, Freddie Mercury.
As the event drew to a close, the competitors and their fellow firefighters took to the stage for a now traditional rendition of ‘Dirty Old Town’ before the results were announced which saw Alex ‘Boyband’ Boirand declared King of the Jungle. There was just £6 difference between the winning bucket and the runner-up.
View photographs from the event below…
