TWO managers from a Wirral firm have completed a gruelling trek, cycle and kayaking challenge through the mountains of mid-Wales and raised almost £2,500 for Cancer Research UK.

Tony Williams and Adam Spelman, who work for Birkenhead-based recruitment firm Scantec, took on the Samworth Brothers Charity Challenge last month.

They were joined by colleagues Sara Frith and Lucy Stokes – who raised funds for Claire House Children’s Hospice.

Tony, 34, from Little Sutton was motivated to undertake the challenge after his close friend Natalie Poole, from Cardiff was diagnosed with bowel cancer and passed away last November aged just 36.

Adam also joined the team for the eight-hour event in Snowdonia after his mother was recently treated for breast cancer.

Tony said: "Unlike the girls on the team, Adam and I are far from being natural endurance athletes and this challenge was by far, one of the hardest things I have ever done.

"It took months of training and early starts in the gym; however, it is nothing compared to what sufferers and of this cruel disease and their loved ones go through everyday, and that is what spurred us on. It is a cause that is close to both of our hearts."

Cancer Research UK Wirral fundraising manager Stephanie Dagger said: "We are incredibly grateful to Tony and Adam for taking part in such a grueling challenge and raising cash for Cancer Research UK.

"The charity receives no Government funding for our ground-breaking work, so we rely on the generosity and efforts of supporters.

"Last year, we spent more than £2m on research in Liverpool and Merseyside. And The Liverpool Cancer Research UK Centre is on our doorstep, carrying out world-class research into cancer."