ADVENTURE and achievement were celebrated by members of the Ramsbottom Explorer Scout Unit when they told an audience about their 10 day trek through Switzerland.

Eightt boys and two girls had spent a year raising £8,000 to fund their expedition, which saw them backpacking through the country in July, taking on a series of challenges along the way.

Walking 100 miles in 10 days, the teenagers kept log books of their travels, worked on farms, made friends with local people and were often invited for meals.

The activities were all part of their efforts to obtain one of scouting's highest awards, The Explorer Belt.

Since returning form Switzerland the 16 and 17-year-olds have undergone an interview process about their experiences and put together presentations, which were made to a packed Greenmount United Reformed Church on Friday.

Among the guests were the Mayor of Bury, Cllr Jane black and mayor's consort Mark Sankey who enjoyed the talks, videos and powerpoint presentations made by Connor Beckwith, Nathan Rowe, Hannah Williams, Eleanor Heib, James Weston, Charlie Kemp, Freddie Nicol, Matthew Woodcock, Sean Rooney and Archie Nichol.

At the end of the evening the teenagers were delighted when they were told they had all passed the Explorer Belt challenge and will be presented with their awards at a special ceremony.

Cllr Black said the Explorers are an example of the initiative and hard work of young people in Bury.

She said: "The good spirit and good humour that shone through is tremendous."