It seems hard to believe but these people have been standing in Coniston water in Cumbria since last August. They are the team of leaders selected by the overall leaders of the Kepplewray venture and then discarded when they were no longer needed.

Ian Fellows (pictured, left) said: "At first we thought they [the overall leaders - Rory Browne and Tim Ditchfield] had just left us here for the afternoon to relax after the Venture had finished, but by the end of October we started to think they weren't coming back for us".

"Christmas was a difficult time", said Angela Cary (2nd left), "We were beginning to get rather cold and missing our friends and family".

It is now June and they have been faithfully waiting 10 months.

We caught up with Rory Browne who said: "Coniston? I don't believe I've been there. Kepplewray? the name means nothing to me".

Tim Ditchfield was prepared to admit he knew what was happening: "I don't see what the problem is. We will be going to collect them at the end of July".