THE Earl of Wessex put the pedal to the metal at a 4x4 challenge day in Herefordshire.

HRH Prince Edward joined Land Rover fans taking part in the driving experience at Eastnor Castle.

The event, hosted by the castle and Jaguar Land Rover, was held as part of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.

One of the project's aims is to encourage participants to combine driving and extreme physical activities with team building games and community participation projects.

The community projects saw the teams help out at Eastnor Primary School and St John the Baptist Church.

James Hervey-Bathurst, owner of Eastnor Castle, said: “We were delighted to have The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award at Eastnor.

"The guests were an impressive group and heavily committed to the award. They were obviously having a good time facing the challenges we were able to lay on for them. We hope they will come back”.

The driving experience took place along the 30 miles of track at the castle, which is where a number of Land Rover vehicles are tested.

The cars have been trialled at the 5,000 acre site for the past 50 years and the castle runs day courses allowing people to experience test runs on the grounds.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is open to people aged 14 to 24 and gives people the chance to develop skills by taking part in various projects and activities.

To find out more visit www.dofe.org.