A TEAM of gym members from Ellesmere Port has taken on the million metre challenge to help transform cancer care.

The 11-strong group from the David Lloyd club at Cheshire Oaks, is rowing its way to a massive fundraising total for The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity.

The team started its challenge on January 1 and kept track of their individual distances with a smartphone app linked to the machines in the gym.

Among them is Paul Bluck, who had never been on a rowing machine in his life but saw it as a good way to get fit and raise money for a cause close to his heart at the same time.

Paul said: “I used one of those clever machines in the gym which measures your body fat and it wasn’t a pretty picture, but after a few months of rowing I started to see the change and it spurred me on.

“Being able to see how other members of the team were doing gave me the added incentive to push on and finish first – something I never dreamed I’d do when I started out in January – I just wanted to get fit.”

Novice rower Paul astonishingly reached his million metre target in April and was closely followed by John Davies, the oldest of the group taking part who was cheered on by other gym members as he got to the magic number.

John added: “I had to fit the rowing in alongside my tennis, but I wanted to catch Paul so I kept going.

“We are carrying on and hope to get to two million metres before some of the team have even made it to one million – the competition element has really helped keep me focused and I keep reminding Paul I started 12 days later than him.”

Their efforts were rewarded with some champagne, presented by David Lloyd Cheshire Oaks manager Graeme Jones and sales manager Heidi Docherty.

David Lloyd Cheshire Oaks has adopted The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity for 2018 and is raising money towards the new cancer hospital in Liverpool, due to open in 2020. Improvements are also planned for the site in Wirral.

Elspeth Wilson, fundraising manager from The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, said: “We are delighted to have the support of David Lloyd in Cheshire Oaks who have all sorts of challenges and events planned over the course of the year to raise as much as they can towards our new hospital.

“They have a great team of willing volunteers at the club who are really behind the campaign and we are so grateful to them for all their efforts on our behalf.”

The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity is working to raise £15 million towards the construction of a new specialist hospital in Liverpool city centre and improvements to the Wirral site.

Could your gym get behind the charity or could you take on the million metre challenge? For more information, contact the charity team on 0151 556 5566 or email fundraising@clatterbridgecc.nhs.uk.