FITNESS fans have taken part in an event which they hope will earn them a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

Bishop Auckland Market Place was the venue for a weekend workout which has generated thousands of pounds for charity. The event was repeated in scores of places across the country.

It is hoped a record 40,000 people will have taken part in the workout.

The Bishop Auckland event was organised by Julie Tyrie, of the Visions Leisure Club, in the Woodhouse Close Leisure Centre.

She said: "We had to have everybody working out to the same music with the same movement at the same time.

"Everybody who took part registered and all the forms will be counted to see if we have broken the record. The event in Bishop Auckland went really well."

The town's Asda store provided drinks and everyone who took part received a drinks bottle, a free swim and a free exercise class.

There were also leisure club memberships and T-shirts on offer to participants as prizes.

Everyone who took part paid £1 and all of the money raised will go to the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity.

Some of the celebrities who supported the event were radio presenters Chris Moyles and John Culshaw, GMTV's Ben Shephard, sports stars Jason Robinson, Steven Gerrard and Rhona Martin, and television presenter Anthea Turner.