A GARGRAVE man and his friend believe they are 'men enough' to travel the length of the Leeds- Liverpool Canal - on a pedalo.

John Marriott and James Thurstan, of Barrowford in Lancashire, are taking up their 'Man Up' pedalo challenge to raise cash for Prostate Cancer UK and and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

They aim to complete the entire 127.5 miles of the canal in about six days - going flat out at just over two miles per hour!

John, who works in Settle, was airlifted by the air ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary after a farm accident in which his leg was crushed in January last year, while John's father was diagnosed with prostate cancer this year.

John's wife Tracy, who has organised the trip, said: "James had the idea when when he was on a pedalo with our two daughters on the boating lake at Scarbrough. The pedalo we have is a reconditioned one from a firm in Leamington Spa, who very kindly transported it up to us. James and John have already been training on the canal near Gargrave, so they know they are going to have to do some serious pedalling."

The pair are setting out from Liverpool on Wednesday (AUGUST 20) and aim to be at Skipton's canal basin on the following Saturday. There is a Sponsor Me page for online donations: http://www.sponsorme.co.uk/jamesthurstan/man-up-pedalo-challenge.aspx, plus a Facebook page.