Thousands raised to help disabled kids explore Yorkshire Dales in memory of 'inspirational' teacher

Andy North, who regularly hiked the Dales with his wheelchair using wife Debbie, died at the age of 56 on June 29 shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer.

Before his death, Mr North, the former deputy head at Moorside Community Primary School in Halifax, had asked people to make donations towards a wheelchair which would allow disabled children to explore the Dales.

More than £3,000 has been raised so far on a Just Giving page set up by Mrs North, who said £12,000 is needed for the wheelchair.

She said: “He wants to leave a legacy of an all terrain wheelchair specifically for children, so family units can get out together and if there are school trips to the Dales and there is a child with a disability, they will be able to use the wheelchair.

“Nobody should be excluded from accessing the Yorkshire Dales ”

She added: “Andy was an absolutely inspirational teacher. The tributes coming in from past pupils all say the same thing: he made learning fun, he inspired the children to go on and motivated them.

“He had a heart of gold, he was loved by everyone and had a wicked sense of humour.”

You can make a donation on the Just Giving page.