FUNDRAISER Andrew Dalby made his own bed, and chose to lie in it on Saturday.

Unfortunately for him, it was a bed of nails and the weather was freezing.

Mr Dalby spent most of Saturday lying on the nails in the centre of Stokesley, North Yorkshire.

He made the bed himself, hammering 900 nails into a chipboard base.

Mr Dalby, from Sowerby, near Thirsk, carried out the stunt to raise awareness of a new charity, The Neil Project, launched in memory of his nine-year-old son, who died five years ago from leukaemia.

The charity aims to provide adventure outings for children undergoing hospital treatment for cancer.

Mr Dalby, 43, said: "Neil particularly loved to do anything on the water - canoeing and other activities - and his favourite haunt if he could have a day out was Windermere.

"We aim to provide adventurous activities for children who are on treatment for cancer, to get them away from their hospital beds for a memorable day.

"Neil always said he wanted to run an outdoor centre when he grew up, so this is a way of honouring that dream."

Mr Dalby's efforts on Saturday raised almost £218 and he said: "Everyone was really generous. A lot of people stopped to talk to us about what we were doing it for, so it had the desired effect.

"The bed is very prickly. You have to be very careful getting on and off, otherwise it is perfectly tolerable."

The charity's next fundraising event will take place at 7.30pm on Sunday, December 4, when the Belles Canto women's choir from Thirsk will perform at Sowerby Methodist Church.