A CONONLEY woman with a form of muscular dystrophy has so far raised £1,300 to help fund research into the condition by completing a charity canal kayak.

Hayley Wood, 49, has a unique type of mitochondrial myopathy, which means her body's cells make less energy than other peoples. She has difficulty moving her arms, breathing, eating, seeing and walking.

But she pushed herself to her physical limit on Sunday afternoon (July 23) to kayak two miles from Bradley to Farnhill in aid of Muscular Dystrophy UK's "Move A Mile For Muscles" campaign.

Taking to the waters of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal alongside her in their own kayaks were her own family support team, comprising husband Kevin, 15-year-old son Joseph and 13-year-old daughter Emily.

Kevin Wood said: "It went very well, though Hayley was utterly exhausted by the end. We had to help her back to the car, but we had been expecting that.

"We just managed to miss the rain and conditions on the canal were about as good as we could have hoped for.

"We're really pleased with how much we've raised. It's much more than we'd expected."

Mrs Wood had to give up work about two years ago. She is a trained artist and illustrator, and previously taught in special needs education in Skipton for many years.

People wanting to support her effort can still do so online by visiting justgiving.com/fundraising/hayleysuzannewood and donating.