A DETERMINED duo who have overcome battles of addiction will be taking on the world’s biggest bouncy inflatable this weekend.

As Southampton prepares to host GungHo! two friends who have turned their lives around with the help of the Saints Foundation will be putting their obstacle skills to the test.

Russell Chatfield and Stephen Rees will be two of thousands of people taking part in a 5k race at Southampton Common on Saturday.

The pair will be taking part in the Gung Ho! fun marathon, which takes competitors through a giant inflatable obstacle course.

Russell, 44 and Stephen, 25 will both be taking part to raise money for the Southampton Football Club’s official charity after they were both referred to its Saints4Sport programme.

The programme, which runs in partnership with the Society of St James, offered Russell and Stephen the chance to rebuild their lives after battling addiction to drugs and alcohol last year, encouraging them to visit the gym almost daily and take part in the foundation’s activities in a bid to get healthy and beat their respective addictions.

Now Russell, who up until seven months ago was drinking 18 hours a day, is focused on bettering himself and being a good role model to those around him, including his wife and three kids.

He said: “Going Gung-Ho! will be a really exciting challenge for me but it looks loads of fun too – it reminds me of being a kid and being on bouncy castles. I can’t wait to have a go.

“My wife and children will be coming along to watch. It’ll make me proud to show them how far I have come.”

Russell, from Swaythling, is one of almost 4,000 people who have already signed up to take on the course’s ten tricky obstacles, which include Europe’s tallest inflatable slide and world’s biggest bouncy castle-style inflatable.

His friend Stephen from St Mary’s will join him after overcoming an addiction to legal high Mephedrone and a dependence on cannabis.

Father-of-three Stephen added: “Getting fit has really helped my confidence and helped me to channel my anger.

"I don’t get in trouble any more. I feel like I can take on anything. Taking part in Gung-Ho! will be a great challenge for me.

"It’s my time to give something back.”

The Gung Ho! event has been organised by Cbeebies presenter Alex Winters who has joined forces with the Saints Foundation to help them raise money during the event.

He said: “Gung-Ho! is anything you want it to be. Being Gung-Ho doesn’t mean just running, it means battling life’s difficulties and pitfalls that we all face, whatever they may be.

“Russell and Stephen encapsulate what being Gung Ho! means, they are an inspiration to me and I’m sure they will be an inspiration to others.”

The pair will be joined by Southampton-based Olympic sprinter Iwan Thomas MBE who is also taking part in the event to raise cash for Children In Need which funds 11 projects for children and young people across the city.

To find out more about taking part, visit begung-ho.co.uk.