Team's Canadian canoe challenge raises £108k

A team of Manx fundraisers have canoed hundreds of miles on a Canadian river to raise more than £108,000 for a charity which supports people with a learning disability.

The Expedition Limitless group covered 444 miles (715km) over 12 days on the Yukon River, camping in the wilderness of its banks along the way.

The money raised will be used to support Manx Mencap's adult activity programme and a summer scheme for younger members.

Team captain Kimmie Holland said the experience was physically tougher than she had expected as "nothing quite prepares you for eight or nine hours in a canoe".

The team paddled for up to nine hours a day over a 12-day period

The second in a series of resilience-based charity challenges created by team leader Phil Quirk, the group followed the river from Whitehorse to Dawson City.

Making the journey in two-person canoes, the team - which ranged in ages from 28 to 66 - carried all of their own equipment and food.

Ms Holland said while some days had gone by quickly because it was sunny and bright, on days when the weather was less favourable “every paddle stroke felt like a dig” and at one point they had to stop due to a risk of capsizing.

The 37-year-old said it was a "surreal" but "incredible" experience as the surrounding terrain was "so vast and so wild", with the opportunity to see moose, eagles and beavers.

She said she and the team had learned a "a lot about how to thrive" in tough situations.

The team's other fundraising events included a 24-hour canoe challenge and a canoe pull during the Parish Walk.

A race of people dressed in inflatable T-rex costumes at the end of August has also been planned.

Ms Holland said the support from the charity, who greeted them with a banner made by the service users on their return, had meant a great deal to the team.

"You can see how much Manx Mencap appreciate the fundraising, it literally is lifechanging for the families that are going to benefit".