AN EPIC game of golf lasting 17 hours with 72 holes completed has helped a company raise thousands for cancer care.

The team from Milton Park-based Achilles Information went above par in a drive to raise nearly £3,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Racking up more than 20 miles and 5,000 shots, the 13 employees completed the course at Hadden Hill golf course in Didcot four times over.

Nick Hemmings, head of account management at Achilles, who helped organise the company's involvement in the challenge, said: “We were all up at 3am and on the course by 4.30am, we didn’t leave it until 9.15pm.

"It was a fantastic day, which as well as some questionable golf – with at least 30 balls lost – saw dodgy coloured shorts, severe blisters, slipped discs, groin strains, sun stroke and sunburn.”

He added: “On a serious note though the Achilles team wanted to show its support for Macmillan Cancer Support, and the phenomenal work they do.

"Over 170,000 people that were diagnosed with cancer more than 25 years ago are still alive today. The historical advances in treatment and care are giving more people a fighting chance of beating cancer, and this is in part is thanks to Macmillan Cancer Support.

See justgiving.com/fundraising/achilleslongestgolfday.