A "WALK on the wet side" by Bolton business banking manager Ross Bullock looks to have raised an incredible £25,000 for charity.

Mr Bullock, aged 46, covered 150 miles in nine days alongside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

He raised about £12,500 - an amount which will be doubled by his employers, Midland Bank.

The towpath route took him from Zoe's Place, a hospice for babies in Liverpool, to Derian House, Chorley, and then Martins House at Clifford, near Wetherby, Yorkshire.

The money will be split between the hospices and the North West Life Education Trust, an organisation which visits primary schools in the Bolton/Bury area providing important messages about drugs and health education.

Mr Bullock, who will be writing a book about his experiences, was joined by colleagues, friends and well-wishers as he made his way through scenery which was often less than beautiful.

"It was a hard slog covering 20 to 24 miles a day," Mr Bullock said today.

"But the fund-raising has been superb - the support has been tremendous."

A keen walker, he completed Wainwright's "Coast to Coast" in 1995 and raised £7,500 for a local charity.

He is already planning a more scenic expedition next year.

"I plan to follow the coastal path round the Isle of Wight," he said.

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