A FUNDRAISER from Bradford was forced to hobble over the finishing line of a mud-filled obstacle course after tearing his Achilles.

Andy Chilton and his daughter Abbie Chilton tackled a Born Survivor challenge to raise money and awareness for the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF).

The fund supports the work of the children’s heart surgery unit in Leeds, which provides a lifesaving service to hundreds of youngsters in Bradford.

The pair smashed their fundraising target of £1,500 and are hopeful of collecting at least £2,000 for the unit.

But their efforts came at a physical cost, as Mr Chilton snapped his Achilles as he tried to scale the Manchester course’s final obstacle - a 20-foot high ramp.

“As I ran up the ramp it just went bang,” said Mr Chilton. “I thought something had gone off behind me. It was a proper bang.

“I thought someone had hit me with a bat. It has completely snapped.”

On passing their fundraising target, Mr Chilton, 49, said: “That is brilliant. There has been a lot of good support for it.

“It will be brilliant for the charity and we are chuffed to bits with it. If we had raised £700 to £1,000, I would have been delighted.

“More importantly, it helps to educate people about the charity and the existence of the charity.”

CHSF’s chief executive officer Sharon Coyle said the fund was attempting to raise £500,000 to help provide a new children’s heart surgery theatre.

She said: “Whilst obviously we are over the moon that they have raised the money, we really feel for him. He actually hobbled over the line despite the snapped Achilles.

“I am so proud of them both, and proud of him for continuing. He must have been in an awful lot of pain. The fact that he finished it is quite incredible. It will be quite memorable for them!

“The money will help the Keeping The Beat appeal to provide a new children’s heart surgery theatre. Every £1,000 helps the barometer go up.”

The course included obstacles such as a 30-foot jump into ten feet of mud, and crawls through tight tubes with minimal breathing space.

“Abbie was great,” said Mr Chilton. “She overcame some fears and I think it shocked her how fit you have to be to get round these things. I am really proud of her. We have earned every penny.”

To sponsor them, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/andy-chilton5.