A GROUP of boys and girls in blue, pom-poms and facepaint have raised at least £1,500 for West Somerset children's charity CLOWNS.

Minehead police constable officer Mark Curran, police community support officers Anne Stoneham and Sue Hurley and special constable Mark James took part in a sponsored cycle tour around the Exmoor police beat.

They set off from Minehead police station last Thursday and made their way to Dunster Marsh, Carhampton, Blue Anchor, Withycombe, Dunster, Wootton Courtenay, Burrow, Timberscombe and Wheddon Cross.

The following day they made it to Dunkery, Horner, West Luccombe, Porlock, Porlock Weir, Bossington, Allerford, Selworthy and Bratton, before heading back to the station in Minehead.

Mark James, who also pulled a collecting bucket full of coins around the district, said the toughest part of the trip had been a hot hill climb to Selworthy.

He said money was still pouring in and the group was not yet sure exactly how much money had been raised.

"I've got £700 already and I know we collected another couple of hundred along the way, so I'm sure we've got at least £1,500 between us," he said.

Kathy Morton of CLOWNS thanked the team for their support and said all the money raised would be put towards the upkeep and running costs of the charity's playbus.

Pictured at Blue Anchor are, from the left, PC Mark Curran, PCSOs Anne Stoneham and Sue Hurley and SC Mark James.

Photo: Steve Guscott.