Paddling pensioners complete 100-mile challenge

Rod Hunt, 85, John Rampling, 84 and Henry Kilvert, 70, travelled almost 100 miles along the River Wensum in Norfolk.

The trio started at Sculthorpe Mill at 07:00 BST on Friday, arriving at Pulls Ferry in Norwich at 15:30 on Saturday.

They have so far raised more than £4,500 for You Are Not Alone (YANA) - a mental health charity which supports agricultural and rural communities in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire.

The paddling pensioners devised the idea after experienced kayakers Mr Hunt and Mr Kilvert introduced Mr Rampling to the sport.

Mr Rampling said he was "gently hooked" to the activity after four weeks of training and said the two-day challenge was "a heck of an experience".

He and Mr Hunt belong to The Rotary Club of Holt and District while Mr Kilvert is a trustee of YANA.

The pensioners said their 100-mile kayak was not without its difficulties

Mr Hunt said the effort was "pretty challenging" and saw the tenacious trio "going through brambles, nettles and over walls".

Two of the team also fell out of their kayaks and "got soaked" along the way.

They said YANA, established in 2008, was "much needed in so many places".

Mr Kilvert, a retired farmer himself, said farmers experienced "isolation and loneliness" and were often "very much on their own whatever they do".

He also encouraged anyone from the farming community who are experiencing loneliness to reach out to the charity.

-bbc