FIREFIGHTERS have raised nearly £5,000 for charity through a year of daring adventures.

Members of Fire and Ice Expeditions, a Durham-based group of firefighters, tackled Mont Blanc, in the French Alps, this summer, although they were prevented from reaching the summit by a series of avalanches.

Team members also completed the New York Marathon and staged a range of other fundraisers.

The money raised during the year was handed over to various charities at a presentation evening held at Ramside Hall Hotel, near Durham, last night.

The charities to benefit were: Treetops Children’s Ward at the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham; Sunningdale School, in Sunderland; The Calvert Trust, at Kielder, Northumberland ; the British Lung Foundation; and the Fire Fighters Charity.

Last night’s event also featured a presentation by Adventure Peak’s Stu Peacock and a buffet.

Over the last nine years, Fire and Ice has raised nearly £85,000 for good causes.

In the year ahead, members hope to climb Ama Dablam, in the Himalayas. A masquerade ball is planned for March. For more information, visit fireandiceexpeditions.co.uk