A Bradford couple are teaming up with friends to pull a barge from Liverpool to Leeds raising £20,000 in memory of a lung cancer victim who had never smoked.

Nurse Emma Fisher, 32, and her husband Gavin, 34, who live in Cote Farm Lane, Thackley, will be joining a team of ten on the challenge in May next year.

They are hoping to complete the task covering 127-miles in only five days in memory of a friend’s sister who died from the disease.

Money raised will go to the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

Julie Robinson, who was 48 and lived in Leeds, defied doctors who gave her eight weeks to live after diagnosing her with aggressive small cell disease and lived 21 months.

Her brother David Jafrate said: “She’d never smoked but she had been a barmaid when she was younger. When we looked into lung cancer research we were sickened to see it gets less than two per cent of all cancer funding for its research.

“We need to help make a difference so it can pioneer breakthroughs to help other people. No money raised can ever bring Julie back but it can save other lives.”

The fundraisers are organising a fun day at St John’s Church in Greengates on Saturday, November 16, from 2pm to 4pm to help make the challenge happen. The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Khadim Hussain, will also be there to give his support.

The barge is being loaned to them by the Bradford-based JAMES motor education project that works with young people in the district.

Mrs Fisher said: “The barge weights 20 tonnes and we’ll be taking it in turns of teams of four to pull it. I’ll be the only woman – the rest have all been in training for a long time and have got experience of Tough Mudder challenges so I’ll be in good company!”

She added: “We’re also trying to find out if we can get ourselves into the Guiness Book of Records for pulling a barge all that distance.”

To to donate go to virginmoneygiving.com/teamBARGEPULL