Waterborne pedallers pull in pounds for lifeboat fund

A TEAM of Yorkshire young farmers earned every penny of a donation they will be giving to the Royal National Lifeboat Instituttion after choosing an ingeniously difficult way to travel the 340 miles to their annual conference – by amphibious bicycle.
By The Newsroom
Published 7th May 2010, 22:42 BST
Updated 7th May 2010, 22:43 BST

The fundraising trip started on the Huddersfield Canal at Marsden one Tuesday morning last month as the first team of four from a squad of 13 boarded the contraption – christened Yorkshire's Greatest Export – which was built from recycled materials by YFC members Thomas Ogden of Worth Valley branch and Richard Lawson of Silsden with Skipton.

The team's adventure ended in Torquay three and a half days later. Now, sponsors are due to cough up about 2,000.

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Meanwhile, the Yorkshire Federation of Young Farmers Clubs will have their wonder machine on show at the Bronte Vintage Gathering on Haworth Road in Cullingworth today and tomorrow, and again at the YFYFC's own show at Pateley Bridge on June 6.

Catherine Horn, federation organiser and one of the pedalling team, said: "On day one a pushbike from the bottom of the canal got caught in the propeller. On day two, our RNLI flag got caught in the chain. On day three, we had to repair one of the floats, which had filled up with water, and on the last day we had to call in at a farm and practically rebuild the whole machine with 30 miles to go."

Related topics:YorkshireMarsden