TWO divers who took part in a gruelling 44-mile cycle ride followed by a dive at Eccleston Delph, Brinscall, have raised £380 for the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution).

Diving instructor Joel Chase, 22, of Scarborough Road, Blackburn, and his friend Andy Pederson, 28, of The Briars, Fulwood, Preston, are both members of Diver Services' club, which is based in Parsonage Road, Blackburn.

They raised the money by doing a sponsored cycle from Blackburn to Eccleston Delph, and presented a cheque to Sadia Walsh, the RNLI branch chairman and secretary Rita Edge, at Bank Hey Swimming Pool, in Heys Lane, Blackburn.

Joel said: "The RNLI is important to us as divers, so we thought it would be a good idea to raise the money for them. We got three punctures on the journey and the weather was pretty bad but it was well worth it."

Joel (left) and Andy are pictured presenting Sadia Walsh and Rita with their cheque.

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