AN INTREPID Bradford man today starts a 112-mile charity canoe challenge along the River Aire - and he will drink the river's water along the way.

Robin Naylor, 61, is travelling the length of the waterway between Malham Tarn, near Skipton, and the Humber Bridge at Hull, to raise money for the Aquabox charity, which provides aid for communities worldwide where fresh drinking water is unavailable.

His challenge - entitled Source to Sea - will see him pass through Skipton, Keighley, Bingley, Shipley, Baildon and Apperley Bridge, and equates to five marathons in five days.

Mr Naylor - who has been canoeing for about 40 years - will set off at 10am, cheered on by family and friends, and should finish at about 7.30pm on Saturday.

He will help sustain himself by drinking water from the river filtered through an Aquabox. The units are sent to countries where people need help to provide clean drinking water. An Aquabox is filled with hardware and hygiene items, as well as a filtration unit which is capable of generating 500,000 litres of drinking water from contaminated sources.

Earlier this year, Mr Naylor said: "The aquabox is basically a big plastic box that families can fill with dirty water and it comes out clean. They are sent all over the world.

"It is an excellent charity and the challenge fits in with my whole lifetime of using water for a leisure point of view."

Mr Naylor also described himself as a passionate Yorkshireman, and the River Aire as a "slice of Yorkshire.

He said: "For me the River Aire has always been a bit of an attraction. I read it was the only river in England that is canoeable from source to sea.“The Humber estuary will be the real challenge – if there’s a wind blowing from the east it could become a challenge.”

Mr Naylor has teamed up with the Rotary Club for the initiative, and will be cheered on by local Rotarians during his challenge.

His first day will end in Skipton. Tomorrow will see the Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Mike Gibbons cheering Mr Naylor on from Bradford and Bingley Sports Club in Bingley.