A FIREFIGHTER got on her bike to raise funds for two charities close to her heart.

Johnstown auxiliary fire woman Donna Jones has raised £630 in a sponsored motorcycle scramble challenge set by her colleagues.

Donna successfully raced a BSA Victor vintage motorbike in the Welsh Championships at Rhos y Madoc - just one month after taking to a motorbike for the first time.

Donna, who, at just 19, is Johnstown's youngest firefighter, learnt to master the handling of the tricky vintage motorbike under the tuition of fellow firefighter and vintage bike expert Richard McLaren, who has been scrambling for 26 years.

Donna, of Beech Avenue, Rhos, split the money she raised from her challenge between the two charities closest to her heart, the Fire Service Benevolent Fund and Nightingale House Hospice.

She said 'The hospice is such a worthy cause and I know they really need the money. It's been really good fun but a lot harder than I thought it would be.'

The Fire Service Benevolent Fund provides a range of services to preserve the quality of life for serving and retired Fire Service personnel and their families. The money Donna raised will help pay for services such as therapy and rehabilitation facilities and sheltered housing.