Two women complete the Ironman Vitoria-Gasteiz to raise money for local charity, Stop Domestic Abuse.

Leeanne Barber and Lisa Phipps, both fitness instructors, decided that they wanted to complete a full IRONMAN challenge, but they had to postpone this due to Covid.

They continued to undertake intensive training regimes to prepare themselves for the gruelling challenge, which consisted of a 2.4 mile open water swim, a 112-mile bike ride followed by a marathon.

In July of this year, the pair flew to Spain and completed the event in under 12 hours, raising £5,000 for Havant-based charity.

Leeanne said: ‘This was such a tough challenge both physically and mentally. I’m delighted that we have successfully raised vital funds to help Stop Domestic Abuse build a new local, child-centred, holistic refuge.’

Stop Domestic Abuse is a charity that aids people that are experiencing or have experienced domestic abuse and offers a range of services to help people.

The charity provides a confidential service and aims to help, not just victims, but also perpetrators, the police and family members of those who have been domestically abused.

They want to help educate people about domestic abuse through training programmes, information events and lobbying to raise awareness.

Stop Domestic Abuse’s chief executive Claire Lambon said: ‘It has always been our dream to build our own refuge in Havant, so we can create a high-quality facility where women and children can recover and move on to live lives free from abuse.

‘One in four women and one in seven children in Hampshire experience domestic abuse. It's now more important than ever to ensure there are specialist refuges to welcome women and their children who have made the incredibly hard decision to leave their home, friends, extended family and sometimes their job to find safety.’

The two women have raised a significant amount of money that the charity is hoping to put towards the building of a new dedicated refuge for women and children fleeing domestic abuse.

Leeanne added: ‘Knowing we are helping women and children affected by domestic abuse has kept us motivated throughout our journey.’