Manx fundraisers set off on Canada kayak challenge

The Expedition Limitless group will kayak for eight hours a day on the Yukon River

A team of fundraisers from the Isle of Man are set to kayak hundreds of miles on a Canadian river in aid of a charity which supports residents with a learning disability.

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

The group, which has self-funded the trip, has already exceeded its fundraising target of £100,000 for Manx Mencap.

Frances Tinkler from the charity said the team were "incredibly brave" and their efforts would be "truly life-changing" for its members.

Making the journey in two-person canoes, the team will carry all of their own equipment and food, which will consist of fresh goods for the first week and dried food for the remainder of the trip.

The second in a series of resilience-based charity challenges created by team leader Phil Quirk, the challenge follows the river starting at Whitehorse and ending in Dawson City.

Matt Gooding and Kimmie Holland are part of the team taking on the challenge

Team captain Kimmie Holland said fundraising events including a 24-hour canoe challenge had been “great ways to bring the team together” ahead of the trip.

The 37-year-old, who used to work with young people with learning disabilities, said the funding would support the "often overlooked" charity.

The RNLI crew member said she was "nervous and excited" about the remote nature of the expedition, which will see the team share the river bank with local wildlife at night.

Fellow team member Matt Gooding said he was looking forward to going "back to basics" by "just sleeping, eating, paddling, and surviving" without the interruptions of technology.

'Overwhelmed'

The funding will be used to support Manx Mencap's adult activity programme and a summer scheme for younger members, which is run alongside charity Autism in Mann.

Ms Tinkler said she was was "absolutely delighted and overwhelmed with the amount of money raised" and the awareness of the charity's work the team has also generated.

Two further planned fundraising events include a canoe pull during the Parish Walk and a race of people dressed in inflatable T-rex costumes at the end of August.

Last year a team of Arctic trekkers raised more than £65,000 for mental health charity Isle Listen.