Star Wars: Cosplay enthuastists to march 20 miles through Portsmouth dressed as Stormtoopers and Jedis for charity

20 members of Joker Squad UK, a group of more than 100 Star Wars fans who are dedicated to raising money for charity through costumed event appearences, will walk 20 miles from Hill Head to Hayling Island in aid of The Alexander Devine Children's Hospice Service.

The group will set off from Hill Head, near Lee-on-the-Solent at 9.00am on Saturday, September 16, marching through Portsmouth and finishing at the Hayling Island, following a coastal route. They will be dressed as a selection of Star Wars characters and figures such as jedis, stormtroopers, shoretroopers and biker scouts.

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Events manager Scott Jacobs was inspired by his love of the “shoretrooper” characters in Rogue One to devise the walk along a stretch of Hampshire’s coastline.

Scott previously served as a member of the RAF Polic but left due to an injury he sustained in Afghanistan. He now lives and works at Portsmouth’s Royal Navy base.

Speaking ahead of “The Shorewalk”, Scott said: “I’m looking forward to it, although I know putting a costume on is going to make it hell of a lot harder. Its not as simple as just a walk - 20 miles along all the iconic, lovely looking beach fronts - its going to be tough. It doesn’t matter what costume you wear – a shoretrooper is very restricted, a stormtrooper will be clanking and even as a rebel pilot you’re wearing a flight suit which doesn’t breathe at all."

Scott said that everyone is excited to challenge themselves, including one participant who recently underwent spinal surgery. Also set to participate is co-founder Dan Cramphorn, who was one of four Star Wars fans to create Joker Squad UK 10 years ago.

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Dan added: "These costumes are screen-accurate movie replicas which are designed to be worn on movie sets for very short periods of time. We wear them for significant periods of time – hours – and a 20-mile walk is going to take us all day. It’s not going to be the most brutal undertaking that a human has ever done, but it is going to be sore and its going to really ache.”

All money raised through online donations and collection buckets on the day will go to Alexander Devine Children's Hospice, which provides specialist respite, palliative and end-of-life care to families across Berkshire and surrounding communities, where one or more of the children has a life-limiting or life-threatening condition.

You can find out more and make a donation via the team’s Justgiving page – which has already raised more than £1,600. For more information about Joker Squad UK, visit their website.