Slow donkey may force shorter trek

Mike Baxter, 28, and his brother Tom, 31, set out on their 153-mile odyssey on Tuesday and were pictured outside the iconic Liver Building with Fergal the donkey.

The pair want to complete the trek without any money while raising funds for the Stroke Association to see if people are kind enough to offer them work to earn money or a bed and food for the night.

By yesterday afternoon however, the "two men and a donkey" were only eight miles north of Wigan, and Mr Baxter said it may be necessary to cut proceedings short.

"People have generally been quite nice to us, although there have been some children who have not been particularly kind to the donkey. She is walking much slower that we thought.

"We had hoped to be at least in Goole by Tuesday, but it is looking like we might only make it to Leeds. We haven't actually decided yet but it's taking a lot longer than we had hoped."

Mr Baxter, a teacher from Sheffield, and his brother, a recruitment consultant who lives in France, wanted to test public generosity after hearing horror stories about modern Britain.