An 82-year-old grandfather has raised thousands for sick children after completing a gruelling 24-hour water marathon and breaking two world records.

Tony Fahey, from Cheshire, recruited a four-person team of two sons and two grandchildren and worked with a designer to build a human-powered watercraft he describes as ‘a boat with a cross-trainer on it’.

The team planned to take turns in two-hour shifts but Tony himself took on the first leg and smashed his own personal best with a stretch of 2hrs 20mins, during which time he covered an impressive five miles — the longest any of the team did in one hit — and scooped him two world records.

The gargantuan effort took its toll, and Tony was carried off the pontoon when he finished.

The team – sons Sebastian and Christian, granddaughter Aimee and grandson Charlie – who took it in turns to ‘walk on water’ through the night, have been training five days a week for the challenge, which they had hoped would be record-breaking.

They set out to cover 80km, but their GPS tracker finally read 104.97km, taking them into the record books yet again.

There was little rest, with fatigue and cold setting in after dark. A blow-up bed set up by the water gave respite here and there – but, Tony said, this was a battle of wills.

Despite putting the work in beforehand, they knew it would be tough. 

‘It’s not an easy thing to do,’ Tony told Metro. ‘This challenge took its toll on my 82-year-old body like nothing before. The non-stop walking, pulling and pushing motions drove through every muscle and joint. Exhaustion really set in when the sun set and we continued without a break. 

‘‘I wanted to quit more times than I could count.’ 

Tony, a former powerboat racing champion, is no stranger to endurance – nor to breaking records.

Advertisement

In 1977, he persuaded legendary racing mechanic Leo Villa OBE – chief engineer to Sir Malcolm Campbell and Donald Campbell and a key figure behind their historic land and water speed record efforts – to mentor him.

Villa came out of retirement to support Tony’s entry into Formula One powerboat racing where he achieved great success in Grand Prix events, including the famous Paris 6-hour race, competitions in Belgium and races on Lake Windermere, where he reached speeds of 158mph. 

Within just one year, Villa’s mentoring led to Tony breaking two world records and one British national record: the R6-category speed World Record (which remains unbroken today), the world production-engine powerboat record and the British National water speed record.

Tony came up with the idea to raise money for Make-A-Wish after a life-changing accident in February 2021, where he was hit by a car travelling at 50mph while out on his daily walk during the covid pandemic.

He suffered severe injuries and was told he might never walk again. During his 18 month rehabilitation, he spent many hours on the cross trainer to regain strength in his legs. 

The experience inspired Tony, who has six children and 16 grandchildren, to want to help others, especially children, who are facing illness.

‘My greatest wish is to raise as much money as possible for the children,’ he said. ‘This is only the start of what I want to achieve for Make-A-Wish. I plan to take on more challenges, each one pushing me more than the last.

Advertisement

What does he make of inevitable comparisons to the unforgettable Captain Tom? ‘People have kindly compared me to the late, great Captain Sir Tom Moore, who inspired us all with his garden laps for the NHS,’ he says. ‘I’m no Captain Tom, he was a true national hero who captured the hearts of the nation at 99. But like him, at 82, I simply wanted to push my limits for a cause bigger than myself.’

Pushing through the night, the team wrapped up the challenge and were helped from the water by crowds that had gathered, including Tony’s five siblings and his children and grandchildren.

Speaking as he celebrated with a large bottle of champagne, Tony says: ‘I’ve endured difficult physical challenges before, not least the journey that brought me to the point where I could even dream of walking on water. Yet I have no hesitation in calling this the toughest of them all. When I felt like quitting, my team kept reminding me of the children we are doing this for and together we pushed on to the end.’

Depleted but not defeated, the irrepressible pensioner is already cooking up another challenge. ‘We made it – battered, exhausted but unbroken and already thinking of the next,’ he says.  

Advertisement

‘I rebuilt myself step by step,’ he said. ‘But this isn’t just about me. It’s about proving what’s possible, no matter your age or circumstances. 

To donate to Tony’s fundraiser, visit justgiving.com/page/tonywalkonwater

MORE: I give expert fashion advice – but my wardrobe is mostly charity shop finds

MORE: Lottie Tomlinson shares her heartbreak after mum and sister’s deaths and urges people to do one thing

Advertisement

MORE: Brits say charity shops are getting ‘greedy’ — why are they so expensive nowadays?

Comments


Add as preferred source

News Updates

Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.

Advertisement

Lidl said the rollout of its new Lidl Plus Points scheme was designed to give shoppers even better value.

However, it has been heavily slammed online from loyal shoppers, many of whom announced they would be shopping elsewhere because of the change.

One disgruntled customer said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Over the years I’ve got to a point where I now do most of my shopping at #Lidl. Your #lidlapp has played a BIG part in that decision.

@LidlGB Congratulations on massively downgrading the Lidl Plus app experience. Under the previous coupon plus scheme I had to spend just £10 to get a free bakery item. Now, I have to spend £70 under the new points system to get it. Might go back to shopping at @Tesco

— Richard Ieuan Davies (@TheRavingRich) May 6, 2026

“Like many others on here though, I fear (sadly) that you’ve just made what will prove to be a VERY costly mistake.”

Another wrote: “I’m gonna miss shopping at Lidl, but now you have scrapped your loyalty scheme, and introduced a pathetic points system, I may as well shop elsewhere. Your CFO must think Lidl customers re dimwits.”

Someone else commented: “Congratulations on massively downgrading the Lidl Plus app experience.

“Under the previous coupon plus scheme I had to spend just £10 to get a free bakery item. Now, I have to spend £70 under the new points system to get it. Might go back to shopping at @Tesco”.

@LidlGB I’m gonna miss shopping at Lidl, but now you have scrapped your loyalty scheme, and introduced a pathetic points system, I may as well shop elsewhere. Your CFO must think Lidl customers re dimwits.

— anything i like (@NetBored) May 6, 2026

In response to the criticism, a Lidl GB spokesman told us: “We do not see Lidl Plus Points as a downgrade.

“This year, we are investing significantly more into the Lidl Plus app, helping customers save even more when shopping at Lidl.

“That includes a significant 60 per cent increase in investment into personalised coupons, responding to demand from shoppers who want more deals on the things they love.”

Recommended reading:

Lidl shoppers get 100 free points in new app update

Lidl making major change to checkouts after trial in stores

Shoppers could get a ‘free BBQ’ by switching supermarkets

How can you use Lidl Plus Points effectively?

They further pointed out that Lidl Plus Points can be spent whenever shoppers choose, rather than within fixed redemption rates.

Customers will consistently earn more than 1 point per £1 with campaigns such as Rewards of the Week, double points, triple points, or free points on selected products.

To mark the launch, both new and existing customers will receive 100 free Points.

Which is your favourite supermarket? Let us know in the comments

Sean Lynn’s side were beaten 33-12 out in Belfast

Wales’ Women’s losing run went on after a 33-12 Six Nations defeat away to Ireland in Belfast.

Sean Lynn’s side have now lost their last eight matches, while their last win in the Six Nations was in April 2024. Having shown plenty of encouraging signs in attack against England last time out, their trip to Ireland was a flatter performance on the whole.

Wales did start well, but Aoife Wafer handed the home side the lead against the run of play after the back-row’s forced her way over the line.

The visitors did hit back, with Georgia Evans marking her first start of the tournament with a try from close ragnge.

Ireland had a try for Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald ruled out for double movement, but it wouldn’t be long before they were ahead again.

Wafer turned provider, shaking off a number of Wales players to set up Beibhinn Parsons.

Ireland moved further ahead just before the break, with Brittany Hogan crossing for their third after relentless pressure.

Ireland were reduced to 14 after Moloney-MacDonald kicked out at Evans.

However, Wales failed to capitalist on the numerical advantage – eventually losing Jasmine Joyce to the sin-bin.

Just before the hour-mark, Wafer grabbed her second to seal the bonus point for Ireland.

Ireland thought they had scored a fifth, only for Neve Jones to have her try chalked off by the TMO.

The final minutes saw Joyce cross for Wales’ second.

However, it would be the hosts who had the final say – with Hogan powering over for her second.

Wales face Italy in their final match as they look to avoid a second winless Six Nations campaign.

Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here for all the breaking news.

Paula Barker, the Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree, told the BBC: “I have enormous respect for both Gordon and Harriet, but I would have had even more respect for them if they had declined the offer of, quite frankly, non-jobs and told the prime minister that it’s time for a change and he should set out his timetable.”

Lucy Barnard struck a pothole on the way home – but the impact damaged her car exhaust.

A pregnant mum was nearly killed by a pothole after it damaged her car exhaust – and filled the vehicle with deadly gases.

Lucy Barnard, 26, was driving home on Walney Island, Cumbria, when her black Ford Fiesta hit a pothole and she heard a rattling sound.

Lucy had a carbon monoxide (CO) detector fitted in her car after her brother died from the colourless and odourless gas in 2023 and noticed the number on the screen begin to rise.

After getting home with partner Callum Legge, 25, and their two children, she decided to test to see if the exhaust was leaking, by opening and closing her windows to allow and restrict oxygen in the car.

To their terror, carbon monoxide levels inside the car were as high as 180 parts per million, which can be deadly to humans.

The mum is super aware of carbon monoxide dangers after an inquest ruled her brother Michael Barnard, 36, unwittingly died after his car filled up with the deadly colourless gas in August 17, 2023.

She is now campaigning for a legal requirement for cars to be fitted with carbon monoxide detectors.

Lucy said: “It’s given me a bit of PTSD in a way. It is heartbreaking to have experienced how my brother died. I feel so lucky that we had the detector and that I followed my own advice of not travelling in a car unless it has one in it.

“If we didn’t know it could have killed us. It is all a strange coincidence that it happened to my family. I knew exactly what was happening when we were doing the test, and it really was scary.

“You see this kind of thing happening and think it’ll never happen to you – but then it does, and it puts it all into perspective. This just proves it can happen to anyone at any time in any car model.”

An inquest at Cockermouth Coroners’ Court in February 2024 heard Michael’s carboxyhemoglobin levels were at 63 per cent, which was consistent with death.

The average level for a non-smoker is between 1 to 2 per cent, and in smokers it is 5 to 10 percent, according to the NHS.

It was revealed the toxic gas had entered into his white Volkswagen Scirocco through his faulty heating system when he was parked in his favourite spot on Walney Beach in North Scale, Cumbria.

He was later found by a dog walker, who had raised the alarm after she saw Michael slumped in the driver’s seat at around 6:35 am the next morning, August 18.

Lucy has said that after they suspected their car was leaking carbon monoxide, the first test they did was opening their car windows to see if it will lower, which it did.

Then they decided to pull the windows up and turn the heating system on full, which caused it to spike 180 particles per million (ppm). Around 200 ppm or greater will cause physical symptoms and is fatal in hours, according to co2metre.com

Lucy is currently six months pregnant and during pregnancy, exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide can reduce the amount of oxygen reaching the baby in the womb, potentially affecting its growth and development, according to the NHS.

Lucy revealed her dad, Terry, 63, looked at the car and said the exhaust was badly damaged from the pothole.

Lucy said: “We shot out of the car and haven’t used it since. We plan to scrap it, to fix it will cost almost as much as we bought it for so there was no point.

“We also don’t feel comfortable if we did get it fixed, getting inside or somehow having it just in case it was to leak again.”

The mum is now calling for greater awareness of carbon monoxide risks in vehicles, warning that the “silent killer” could be affecting more people than realised.

Cars are not legally required to carry carbon monoxide detectors but she wants to change that. Last year, she started a petition.

She needs 100,000 signatures for the UK Parliament’s Petition Committee to consider whether the issue should be debated.

Lucy said: “This could be happening to so many. It’s absolutely crazy. I think there will be more deaths if this isn’t addressed.”

She is urging people to invest in carbon monoxide detectors. Reflecting on the incident, she believes the presence of the detector ultimately saved her family.

“It was me, my partner and my children in the car,” she said. It could have taken all of our lives. This is definitely not spoken about enough.”

A link to Lucy’s petition can be found here.

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

The Men of Gwent were beaten 24-15 by Edinburgh in Newport

The Dragons couldn’t hand Aaron Wainwright the perfect Rodney Parade farewell after they were beaten 24-15 by Edinburgh in Newport.

Wales No. 8 Wainwright was making his final home appearance for the Dragons ahead of a move to Leicester Tigers. However, it wasn’t to be his night as Scotland international Duhan van Merwe scored twice in the second-half to seal victory for the visitors.

The Dragons had lost prop Rodrigo Martinez to a head injury early on, but they were able to open the scoring thanks to an Angus O’Brien penalty.

Edinburgh forged ahead, with hooker Ewan Ashman scoring from close range.

Wales prop Dillon Lewis moved the Dragons back in front from a driving maul.

The Dragons then thought they had moved further ahead just before half-time, after Rio Dyer picked up a loose ball to race 80 metres to the tryline.

However, the TMO intervened to chalk the try off for a knock-on.

That proved crucial as Edinburgh went on to score shortly after, with Tom Currie powering over following some concerted pressure.

The second-half started with the Dragons producing a fine score.

Thomas Young set the platform with a powerful run from deep, before Dyer latched onto Tinus de Beer’s grubber.

The Wales wing then combined with Rhodri Williams, who then gave the scoring pass to flanker Keddie to score.

However, Edinburgh would hit back – with Lions winger van der Merwe crossing from a neat blind-side move.

The Dragons kept pushing, with Edinburgh losing both Dylan Richardson and Boan Venter to the sin-bin.

The home side once again had a try chalked off by the TMO, with Elliot Dee’s score ruled out for an earlier knock-on.

While still down to 14 with Venter’s yellow card, Edinburgh sealed victory as van der Merwe shook off a handful of tackles to grab his second.

Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here for all the breaking news.

The long-running crime drama, now in its 25th season, has been a hit with viewers

An “addictive” long-running TV series has apparently secured its return.

Law and Order – which launched in 1990 and is currently in its 25th season – is set to be commissioned for a 26th run, according to Deadline. While final negotiations are said to be still being finalised, an official announcement regarding the police procedural’s continuation is anticipated shortly.

The news is certain to delight fans of the show, which has garnered an enormous following amongst viewers. Shot and set in New York, the programme follows detectives from the New York City Police Department’s fictional 27th precinct as they tackle criminal investigations.

Over the years, the series has attracted considerable star power, with Sam Waterston, Jerry Orbach and Mariska Hargitay all featuring, alongside notable guest appearances from Viola Davis, Bradley Cooper and Ellen Pompeo. The current line-up includes Maura Tierney, previously known for her role as Abby Lockhart in medical drama ER, and Tony Goldwyn, of Scandal fame.

Advertisement

Law and Order originally ran from 1990 to 2010, before being revived in 2021 following an 11-year hiatus, reports the Mirror.

The show has also spawned numerous spin-offs over the years, amongst them Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Law and Order: Criminal Intent and Law and Order: Trial by Jury.

It has been a hit with viewers, who have called it “unmissable” and “captivating”. One reviewer wrote on Rotten Tomatoes: “The best ever, realistic, true to life portraits seen in any movie or TV series.”

“Excellent,” wrote another, describing the programme as “completely addictive”.

“It’s like watching two shows, a police investigation series for the first half hour, and a legal series for the next half an hour,” another fan remarked.

“Great performances, lots of mystery and drama, very realistic,” they continued.

Someone else praised the show’s “pitch perfect pacing”.

Another person on the site said: “Law and Order is one of my go-to shows to watch while sitting on the couch and vegging out. I’ve seen every episode multiple times, but I find the show comforting. That’s what Law and Order is – comfort food.”

Law & Order airs on NBC in the US.

Authorities in Argentina‘s Tierra del Fuego province are vehemently disputing claims that a deadly hantavirus outbreak, linked to an Atlantic cruise ship, originated within their borders.

Instead, they are urging investigations into other Argentine provinces visited by passengers.

Local officials in the southernmost South American archipelago reject the assertion by national health authorities that a rubbish dump in Ushuaia was the probable source where two Dutch tourists contracted the virus while bird-watching.

“I believe we are facing a smear campaign against this destination” Juan Facundo Petrina, the province’s director of epidemiology, told reporters Friday in a press conference from Ushuaia.

He highlighted that federal officials reportedly failed to contact local authorities directly, instead learning of the alleged Ushuaia link through media reports.

Petrina further stressed that Tierra del Fuego has no history of hantavirus cases, particularly not the Andes variant implicated in the cruise ship outbreak, unlike provinces further north in Argentina.

The director also noted that the deceased Dutch couple spent only two days in Tierra del Fuego during their four-month journey across Argentina and Chile, a factor he believes “dramatically reduces the likelihood that the infection happened here”.

As the main gateway to Antarctica, the remote town of Ushuaia drew over 157,000 cruise passengers last year — almost double its local population.

Deep-pocketed cruisers have increasingly grown vital to Tierra del Fuego’s economy as its core electronic manufacturing sector reels from libertarian President Javier Milei‘s slashing of trade barriers and subsidies.

“Now the whole world is associating Ushuaia, and cruise travel, with a lethal virus, and if this continues, reservations for next season are honestly going to plummet because nobody will want to be exposed” said Rubén Rafael, the former health minister of Tierra del Fuego.

“Ushuaia’s reputation as a tourist destination is suffering badly”.

Argentine investigators have yet to arrive

When asked on Friday whether the Argentine Health Ministry still favored the outbreak origin theory of the Ushuaia landfill, a ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to talk about the investigation, said that nothing had changed and that Ushuaia was the only place where the ministry was sending investigators, adding that it remained possible the virus originated elsewhere in Argentina.

The Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that it would dispatch experts from the state-backed Malbran Institute to trap rats at the Ushuaia trash heap and nearby areas and test them for the Andes strain of the hantavirus.

Over two days later, the investigators have yet to arrive. The official dismissed the delay as normal for Argentina’s slow-moving bureaucracy.

In Tierra del Fuego, Petrina said he hoped national investigators would clear Ushuaia’s name. He said it was taking a while “to determine all the exact locations where trapping and analysis will take place”.

Others in the left-leaning province complained that the government’s delay and lack of transparency came as part of a wider pattern ever since Milei took his chain saw to the country’s health system, withdrawing his country from the World Health Organisation weeks after US President Donald Trump did the same and defunding national programs responsible for tracking infectious diseases.

“The health system in Argentina is going through a serious crisis” said Rafael, the former provincial health minister. “The system is weakened, and as a result, the response to this outbreak has been very slow. That exposes all of us”.

Outside Argentina, public health experts said that the investigation is a critical step so that a similar situation can be avoided.

“It’s not an extreme emergency, but it’s still of urgency in terms of collecting the data” said Celine Gounder, an epidemiologist who serves as editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News and previously advised the Biden administration on the coronavirus pandemic.

“If there is an Andes virus that is more infectious locally you’d want to know that so that you can warn local residents and take measures to prevent their infection. And if they haven’t started that process yet, that would be concerning”.

A daunting hunt for answers

The Dutch couple that the WHO has identified as the first cruise passengers infected with the Andes variant — the only hantavirus that may be able to spread from person-to-person in rare cases — arrived in Argentina last November, according to the Argentine Health Ministry.

The couple, 70 and 69 years old, spent weeks driving up and down the country before making a series of border crossings between Argentina and Chile over months.

They also traveled between Argentina and Uruguay in March before embarking on the Antarctic cruise from Ushuaia on 1 April.

The governments of Chile, which has seen deadly outbreaks of the Andes variant before, and Uruguay, which hasn’t, declared the couple couldn’t have become infected while visiting based on the virus’ up-to-eight-week incubation period. They didn’t offer details.

Because the couple died, retracing their steps through the country is exceedingly difficult, said Argentine health officials, adding that they’re working to fill in some gaps in the couple’s travels.

Many independent Argentine epidemiologists believe that the hantavirus outbreak most likely emerged from the woodlands of central Patagonia, another major tourist destination where authorities have recently recorded hantavirus cases and long-tailed rats known to carry the Andes variant run rampant — unlike in Ushuaia.

“With the media pressure now, it wouldn’t surprise me if the government’s response has been more about quieting criticism by appearing to act” said Raul González Ittig, genetics professor at the National University of Cordoba.

The motorway is closed southbound between J17 (Sandbach) and J16 (Crewe/Stoke-on-Trent).

Cheshire Police are in attendance and motorists are being warned of delays on approach to the closure and diversion routes. 

Diversion Route

Follow route marked with a hollow circle symbol on road signs:

• Exit the M6 at J17
• At the end of the slip road turn right on to the A534
• Follow the A534 towards Crewe
• At the Crewe Green Roundabout take the second exit on to the A5020 University Way
• Follow the A5020 on to David Whitby Way
• At the Weston Gate Roundabout with the A500 take the first exit
• Follow the A500 Shavington Bypass eastbound on to Alsager Road and continue to the M6 J16
• At the roundabout take the fourth exit to re-join the M6 southbound

A National Highways spokesman said: “If this closure affects your journey please allow extra time for your journey, consider alternate routes (if possible).

“Further information is available from National Highways by visiting our www.trafficengland.com website and travel apps, or via our regional X feed.

“Our 24/7 contact centre team is also available to provide up to the minute information on 0300 123 5000.”

The campaign, Together Through Sport, aims to ensure every child can play, grow and thrive through access to sporting opportunities.

Mr Quinn said: “Sport should be for every child, not just the lucky few.

“Together Through Sport is helping ensure no child is left on the sidelines.

“By supporting the campaign, you can help provide opportunities that make a real difference to young people and families across our region.”

The campaign brings together major sporting foundations and organisations across the North East, including the Foundation of Light, Newcastle United Foundation, Durham Cricket Foundation, Eagles Community Foundation and Newcastle Rugby Foundation.

Together, they aim to remove barriers that prevent young people from taking part in sport and physical activity.

Funds raised will go towards free and subsidised holiday activities, community sports sessions for children and young people, school-based opportunities to get active, access to safe, inclusive and welcoming environments, and support for families facing financial barriers to participation.

The campaign also forms part of a wider ambition to establish the North East as the UK’s first Region of Sport, harnessing the power of clubs, charities and community organisations to create healthier, happier and more connected communities.

People can support the campaign by texting TOGETHERFIVE to 70085 to donate £5, plus one standard network rate message, or by donating online through the campaign’s JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/campaign/sport.