TWO friends took on a mammoth 'Woman v. Food' eating challenge last weekend to raise £1,500 for three charities.

Sarah Smalley and Sam Crowshaw were cheered on by friends and family at the Hare and Hounds pub, in Outwood Road, on Sunday afternoon as they ate as many Bavarian Slices as they could stomach in an hour.

Sarah, who works for Sayers The Bakers, came up with the idea after being challenged by customers to prove her love of her favourite treat, with bosses at the bakery providing all of the food for the event and matching the £440 she raised for Bury Hospice and Francis House.

The 43-year-old, of Ainsworth Road, said: "This all came from me saying to customers that I loved these cakes and could eat loads of them. One day, a woman who comes in regularly told me that she had heard me say it so many times that she was going to sponsor me to do it.

"Suddenly, more and more people came in wanting to sponsor me and by the end of the day I had £70, so I knew then that it was going to be worthwhile.

"We were aiming to eat 20 each, but I had 10 and Sam could only have six because they were so massive.

"Every cake that wasn't eaten was then sold on to help the fundraising and they went down a treat with the customers."

The Bavarian Slice is filled with vanilla custard mixed with freshly whipped cream and surrounded by flaky puff pastry and strawberry jam.

Sam, of Woodgate Avenue, Bury, raised around £340 for her chosen charity, 4Louis, which provides memory boxes for bereaved parents who suffer the trauma of stillbirth or neonatal death.

The pair, who became friends when they were barmaids at the Hare and Hounds, had their fundraising efforts further boosted by collection buckets put out by the pub.

Sarah, who will also be having her head shaved for charity next year, added: "The landlord based a charity day around us doing the cake eat and it was a really great day for everyone.

"We had a lot of people coming in just to watch us do the challenge, all of our friends and family were there to cheer us on.

"I could see myself doing something like this again, it certainly hasn't put me off."

To make a donation, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Sarah-Smalley3 or justgiving.com/fundraising/Sarah-Smalley4