Eight friends will row 140 miles along the Liverpool Leeds canal in a bid to raise £10,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The eight, all members of Aireborough Rugby Club in Guiseley, aim to complete the journey in just three days - which will mean nine hours a day of constant rowing.

They will split into four canoes, setting off from Liverpool on Friday, June 27, and aiming to be back in Leeds by Sunday lunchtime.

One of them, Mike Neild, said they had decided to embark on their 'canoe for cancer' because of family experience with the disease.

Mike, 38, said: " None of us have ever canoed. A couple of us have done a little bit as ex forces, but really not much.

"We decided to do it as the same band of men have decided each year to take on a new challenge, we all used to play rugby together at aireborough, but we are now all old and beaten up - last years challenge was the Tough Mudder and we raised £2000 for meningitis trust.

"I also did the London marathon and raised £2500 for a children's charity.

"The reason we decided on this particular charity was because my father had cancer last year and one of the other rowers father died of cancer a few years ago, so it seemed fitting."

The group - Mike, Martyn Booth, Craig McLaughlin Dom Cannon, Chris Illingworth, Sion Thomas, Matt Fountain

and Paul Colclough - have set up a justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/canoefourcancer

They say: "Cancer in its self is more than any challenge we could ever as a person put ourselves through, and so many of us are touched by this battle whether it be family, friend or as an individual. So it is only right that we try and raise as much money as we can to fight against this battle."