Year eight Castle Rushen pupils Emily Devereau of Port St Mary and Hannah Finch of Port Erin, both aged 12, endured freezing conditions to walk from Port St Mary to Castletown and back, raising more than £100 in the process.

The eye-catching pair, clad in black tops, leggings and tutus took just over an hour to reach Castletown but a combination of headwind and fatigue extended the return journey to an hour and three quarters.

Emily's mother Anita Devereau said: 'Coming back was a struggle. It was absolutely freezing. I offered them a lift back but they said no.

'People were really supportive and it's a fabulous thing to do for 12-year-olds. They walked about eight miles in total but they both play football and hockey so they are quite fit.

'Apparently one of their teachers drove past and laughed when he saw them! He had sponsored them so I think he was checking they were actually doing it!'

In a separate event members of the Manx Paddle Sports Canoe Club scaled the Sugar Loaf raising £600 so far.

Five members of the club reached the summit while the other five got what some may consider the better deal staying below on the beach with the other boats.

St Ninian's High School teacher Steve Watt was one of the climbers along with his son David, a sixth former at QEII in Peel.

The flotilla of ten canoes laden with ropes and other climbing gear paddled out from Port St Mary for the ascent which took about two hours for all five to reach the top.

'It's not a particularly hard climb and it was lovely and sunny,' Steve said. 'But it was starting to get quite windy when they had to tow the boats back for us.

'Last weekend I went back with a friend and swam out from the bottom of the Chasm to retrieve some of the climbing gear we left behind.'

The Sugar Loaf climbers were, Steve and David Watt, Shane Moss, Stuart Mason and George Linwood.