TWO disabled canoeists who set out to raise £1,000 for charity by paddling 60 miles up the River Tees have beaten their target by nearly £500.
Stuart Vallely, of Middlesbrough, and Stuart Carter, of Guisborough, raised £1,434 last month for Children in Need.
Mr Carter, 49, said: "We are delighted to have achieved this much because we didn't expect to.
"We went around shops, clubs and business and had a lot of help from people in collecting the money. They have been so kind."
The two men are waiting to hear from the Guinness Book of Records to see if their feat is the first marathon of its type to be undertaken by disabled people.
Next year, they plan to paddle the width of Scotland, taking on waterways including Loch Ness.
The year after that they plan to cross the English Channel.
Mr Vallely, 42, said: "A lot of disabled people don't get a chance to show what they can do.
"Some people look down on disabled people and that is wrong."
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