A TEAM from Airedale Hospital's A&E department is putting its best foot forward for a cause close to its heart.

Colleagues are tackling a canal towpath trek to coin-in cash for the Emergency Department Appeal.

The £100,000 appeal – backed by the Keighley News – was launched in May to fund desperately-needed resources for the new hospital unit, which is due to open in the autumn.

Items on the 'wish list' range from cardiac monitors to a children's distraction wall, designed to keep youngsters occupied while they are awaiting assessment and treatment.

The walkers will set off from Skipton on Wednesday July 23 and cover a 26-mile route, alongside the canal, to Leeds.

They will be joined for part of the way by family and friends.

The team aims to complete the challenge in a day and hopes to raise hundreds of pounds through sponsorship.

Among the walkers will be A&E staff nurse Jo Goodman, from Cowling.

She said: “We hope to start early so we can get some of the distance under our belts before it becomes too warm, if the weather is good.

"Although we all do quite a lot of walking in our spare time, no one has tackled anything like this before.”

Colleague Richard Rees-Jones, from Sutton, a senior charge nurse, spoke about the potential impact the new cardiac monitors would have in the department.

"They will make a huge difference to the experience of our patients at a time when they are very poorly and at their most vulnerable," he said.

"Being able use one multi-functional machine, rather than several different monitors, can mean a speedier diagnosis for patients and enable staff to treat them in a more timely way.

"This helps not only our patients, but also supports our team by giving it confidence that it is looking after people in the best way it can.”

To sponsor the walkers, text JORI 82 and the amount to 70070 or visit justgiving.com/owner-email/pleasesponsor/Jo-and-Rich-walk-28-miles-to-Leeds.