TWO friends are to cross the north of England from the west to the east coast by canoe - to raise cash for Cancer Support Yorkshire.

Andrew Wellock and Andrew Lambert, who until recently worked for Skipton Building Society, have started training for their 160-mile trek along the full length of the Leeds-Liverpool canal, and completing the journey to reach Goole via the Aire and Calder Navigation.

The pair, both Ilkley born and bred, will be rowing a two-man kayak and starting their journey in Liverpool - scheduled to take a week and averaging around 25 miles a day - on Sunday, July 9.

And the intrepid duo will be staying in Skipton overnight - courtesy of the town centre Woolly Sheep - on what is effectively the mid-point of their trip.

Andrew Lambert said: "Andrew himself is recovering from having cancer and he got a tremendous amount of help from Cancer Support Yorkshire. He found out he had cancer only on a routine visit to the dentist in 2014.

"In 2016 Andrew had both radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments, in addition to previous invasive surgery.

"Cancer Support Yorkshire had been there for the family every step of the way, proved incredibly supportive, and able to provide a true personal service that perhaps only a small charity would be able to.

"Since then he and his family have tirelessly raised cash for them. We were talking about what we could do in 2017 and came up with the idea of a cross-country canoe trip."

Last year, Andrew Lambert did a solo trek of 217 miles to Hadrian’s Wall and back, starting and finishing in Settle, that raised about £600 for the charity.

And, he said, the pair have also had an offer of overnight stays from the Holiday Inn Express hotel chain, which has two suitable establishments near the canal, in Burnley and Leeds. Members of the hotels' staff will also be supporting the canoeists by cycling sections of the towpath with them. The pair are also hoping to organise a fundraising night at the Woolly Sheep for the evening they arrive in Skipton.

The two Andrews are hoping to get local companies to sponsor the event with promotion for the companies through advertising on both the kayak and the support vehicle which will be driven by another friend David Waterhouse.David will follow the pair with pre-arranged locations as meeting points for some well-needed rest and recreation.

Andrew Lambert added: "It's great that we've got so much support. They must know we're both complete canoe novices. I was out practising on the canal in my own small inflatable canoe last week and was attacked by a swan - we need all the help we can get!"

Their full itinerary is: Sunday, July 9, Liverpool-Burscough, 24 miles; Monday, Burscough-Chorley, 24 miles; Tuesday, Chorley-Burnley, 24 miles; Wednesday, Burnley-Skipton, 26 miles; Thursday, Skipton-Leeds, 29 miles; Friday, Leeds-Castleford, 20 miles; Saturday, Castleford-Goole, 20 miles.

To sponsor the pair, visit the Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Andrew-Lambert9