A TOTAL of 8,932 press ups were completed in an hour by staff at a Portishead gym, raising almost �2,000 for charity.

The Fitness Hub officially opened under the new management of former world kickboxing champion Andy Cleeves and his wife Claire on January 21. The launch saw residents mix with VIP guests from the sporting world, as they enjoyed a preview of the gym’s new services and offers.

The focal point of the event was the Penny A Press Up Challenge for the Harvey Hext Appeal, the gym’s selected charity of the year.

A team of 10 staff members set out to do 5,000 press ups in one hour and new owner Andy, who led from the front completing 1,713 in the hour, said he was thrilled the team smashed the target.

Harvey Hext, a four-year-old from Winford, has both Down’s Syndrome and neuroblastoma, a rare type of cancer that attacks the nervous system. He has already undergone extensive treatment but the cancer is still present so his parents have launched the appeal to raise �300,000 to pay for pioneering treatment overseas.

Harvey was among the special guests at the Fitness Hub open day which also included: MMA legend James ‘The Colossus’ Thompson, Bristol City legend Alan Walsh, actor and screen fighter Nathan ‘Megatron’ Lewis and Olympic gymnast Imogen Cairns. Events also saw world record-breaking champion Master Ed Byrne, tagged as one of the country’s strongest men, demonstrating his skills by smashing through eight concrete slabs with his bare hands.