A GUTSY group of fitness fanatics have raised almost £70,000 to help a brave Stourbridge mum left with devastating brain injuries after she tried to rescue a little boy from pounding surf in north Devon.

Members of Stourbridge Lawn Tennis and Squash Club and Stourbridge Rugby Club teamed up to organise a testing charity challenge in aid of Deb Drew who has been left wheelchair-bound and in need of specialist care after her rescue efforts while bodyboarding in Woolacombe went disastrously wrong in the summer of 2014.

It has been a long, hard battle ever since for mum-of-two Deb who sustained brain damage after suffering a cardiac arrest and who has never learned what happened to the youngster she tried to save.

But devoted family and friends have rallied to help her, organising a rota to visit her at Hunters Moor neurological rehabilitation centre in Hall Green, and raising funds.

A charity bike ride from Ilfracombe to Plymouth raised more than £6,000 for her but the adventurous lads who organised the event decided to go one better this time and set themselves an even bigger fundraising challenge which has ultimately raised a grand total of £68,623.

Their latest charity outing for Deb was an epic challenge, nicknamed Bangers and Cash, which saw the 12-strong team take on a long and winding road trip from Stourbridge to north Wales in clapped out cars, climb Mount Snowdon (via the more testing route to the summit), swim across Lake Bala which, according to legend, is home to its own version of the Loch Ness Monster, and cycle 60-plus miles on to Liverpool.

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Tim Mitchell, aged 56, from Churchill, who was one of the team, said: "It was great, we had a lot of fun. All the challenges were achieved - probably the swim across Lake Bala was the toughest; it was quite a cold day, very windy and there were a lot of waves."

To celebrate completion of the challenge and the mammoth fundraising efforts of the team - which also comprised Lex Allan, Rich Cattell, Graham Danks, Jason Edwards, Jules Fellows, Aubrey Grosvenor, Nick Goodwin, Tim Mitchell, Phil Olding, Steve Simmonds and Jason Sykes - the guys held a get together for supporters, sponsors and Deb at the tennis club in Sugar Loaf Lane.

Deb’s mum Beryl Jones said: "She's just overwhelmed by what they've done. We can't believe it. We feel so humbled that people do this out of the goodness of their hearts. It makes you feel very grateful that there are people like this."

The funds raised, which included a whopping £10,000 donation from Pedmore Sporting Club, have enabled supporters of former pharmaceutical rep Deb, aged 51, to buy her a brand new state-of-the-art wheelchair - costing around £25,000 - which she will be able to operate herself and which will enable her to stand.

Money left over will go towards add-on equipment and help pay for modifications to Deb's Oldswinford home which she is desperate to return to.

Meanwhile - the online Deb Drew Fund will continue and anyone wishing to make a donation can do so at www.local-fundraising.com.

The Bangers and Cash crew hope their efforts will pave the way for further donations and fundraisers for Deb who will need a great deal of care and help into the future.