EIGHT friends climbed Mount Kilimanjaro together to raise vital funds for Cancer Research.

If that wasn’t enough their inspiration behind that was that each of them were individually affected by cancer, with one member Stephen Bennett sharing with his friends that his daughter Leah was diagnosed with an "impossible tumour".

They have drawn strength from each other and on Friday won the Charity Champion Award, after their efforts led to a massive £67,000 being raised.

The friends, Stephen Bennett, Alan McKeegan, Shaun McKeegan, David Robinson, Davie McKie, Andrew Houghton, James Thomas and Daniel Blakemore were shocked enough to be nominated for the Charity Champion award, but after winning they were both very excited and could not stop laughing - in general and at each other.

The group, who were interviewed at once, and therefore gave their answer as a communal effort, said: “It’s brilliant this because it’s been the best thing that any of us have ever done.

“Friendship is dead important anyway but for men it’s good to share what’s worrying you and we know no matter what we’ve always had each other.

“We take the mick and mess about as we are mates and that is what mates do, but we always know we are there for each other.

“Some of us have been friends for 35 years, some came in a bit later but when we realised each of us had a link to either our own battles with cancer or a loved one then we knew we wanted to do all we could and that’s been dead important that.

One then added: “The only problem is there is eight of us and one award, so we need to have a work out a custody schedule for it or get seven others,” which was met with riotous laughter from the rest of the group.

They then added: “Thank you though, I know we are laughing but it means everything this, we are really proud and it means a lot.”

Highly commended in this category were Denise Littler of St Helens and Whiston Hospitals' charity and David Cross.