PALLIATIVE care nurse Craig Maddock is taking on the River Wye in a bid to bring in funds for Leck­hamp­ton Court Hospice, where he works.

Craig was planning on taking part in an organised canoe fundraiser on the River Nene in Northamptonshire when the event was cancelled.

He said: "I already had quite a few sponsors signed up, so I decided to go on my own.

"I live in Lydbrook, near the River Wye, so I thought I would ask my wife to drop me 57 miles away and I would paddle home.

"I thought I would start at around 4am and hopefully be home in time for supper!"

The longest distance Craig has paddled in one day before is 25 miles, but he is optimistic about his chances of finishing.

"I have done a fair amount of canoeing in the past, but nothing serious, only dabbling. I have a bit of flexibility as I have the Friday, Saturday and Sunday off work, but I aim to do the trip on Saturday, July 18," he said.

Apart from brief breaks to stretch his legs and have a quick sandwich, the expedition will require non stop paddling for the entire day.

Craig has already raised around £200 and hopes to get more sponsors to help with the hopsice's valuable work.

"It is the only hospice in the county with beds and we get quite a lot of Forest folk there."

To pledge sponsorship visithttp://www.justgiving">www.justgiving. com/craigmaddock4sueryder