PRISONERS at HMP Erlestoke were given fitness workshops by a personal trainer and a professional boxing coach and boxer.

On Wednesday, April 24, Worton-based fitness trainer Darren King, 40, broke the world record for the amount of skips in 12 hours.

He managed to skip 87,000 times breaking the previous record of just over 76,000 and in the process burning off a huge amount of calories.

Alongside Mr King, staff and prisoners completed their own 12 hour Skipathon as a tag team taking it turns to keep pace with the record breaker.

It helped to raise awareness of mental health, and issues of suicide and self-harm, as well as raising funds for the Samaritans who work with the prison authorities and prisoners.

As part of the event two fitness and wellbeing workshops were given to the prisoners by Chippenham boxing coach Chris Long.

Mr Long teaches young people, men and women the art of boxing fitness in Chippenham and was joined by , and joined by the former British middleweight champion Nick Blackwell. Mr Backwell won the title in 2010, at the age of 20, but his career was cut short in 2016 after he was forced to retire due to a serious head injury sustained in the ring.

The duo held workshops for the prisoners and staff with lessons in fitness, motivation and inspiration to achieve. To support the skippers in aid of the Samaritans visit www.justgiving.com HMP Erlestoke skippers2019