Some of the volunteers who played a 26-hour airsoft battle for Help for Heroes.
THERE was nothing soft about a group of volunteers who helped to raise more than £700 for Help for Heroes on Saturday.
More than 50 people took part in a 26-hour game of airsoft, which is played similarly to paintball but with resin pellets instead of paint.
Two teams dressed in camouflage outfits and armed with imitation guns, battled it out at Island Recon’s airsoft club, near Chale.
Help for Heroes was chosen for the club’s annual fundraiser due to the ongoing wars involving British troops.
"There are people out there doing this for real and we wanted to show our support for them," said Island Recon co-director, Terry Clarkson.
It started at midday and players fought in a series of combat games throughout the afternoon, evening and following morning, aided by night vision equipment.
It was based on the 1984 film, Red Dawn, where a group of American teenagers joined together to defend their country from invading Soviet forces.
"All the feedback we’ve had indicates everyone enjoyed themselves and we still have some more money to count," said Terry.
The purpose-built woodland site at Sheards Copse includes a simulated Vietnamese village, a tank and several barracks. For more information about airsoft, visit www.islandrecon.co.uk.
Reporter: mattw@iwcpmail.co.uk