Pair raise thousands running length of Severn

Tom Probert, left, and Cameron Bates, right, ran 219 miles in total

Two men have run the length of the River Severn from source to mouth, raising more than £9,500.

Cameron Bates, who grew up near Shifnal, Shropshire, was joined by his friend, Tom Probert from London, in the challenge which raised money for mental health charity, Mind.

They ran 219 miles in six days, averaging about 35 miles a day.

The pair trained for seven months before they set off, and had an original fundraising goal of £5,000.

Tom Probert, left, and Cameron Bates, right, finished at Severn Beach in Bristol

The River Severn is the longest river in the UK, starting in the Cambrian mountains in mid-Wales, and ending in the Severn Estuary where it empties into the Bristol Channel.

"It was full-on and amazing," said Mr Bates.

"The worst bits were the hills, rivers and mud we had to trudge through,"

“When you’re hitting those walls 20-odd miles in, to keep going was tough, but it was for an important cause.” he added.

He said he chose Mind because he struggled for a number of years with his mental health.

"Their services are so important, and we just wanted to do anything we could to help them out," he said.

"We had great chats with people along the way," he said, "Talking is so important, and that's what it's done."