A local kickboxing champion has successfully completed a marathon whilst pulling a 1.25 tonne airplane all to raise money for charity.
Carl Thomas, 35 and hailing from Stockport, began the marathon dragging the Cessna Aircraft up and down the airfield at Elvington, near York, on Wednesday evening and managed to reach a top speed of around 2mph.
All funds raised from the challenge will go to Ollie’s Army Battling Against Battens.
Carl has set the target of raising a total of £250,000 to help fund a clinical trial at Great Ormond Street Hospital to prevent the loss of vision in children with CNL2 Batten Disease. Batten disease is an incurable illness which affects the nervous system, causing seizures, visual impairment, mobility loss and early death, and there is currently no cure or life-extending treatments for the disease.
Only symptom relief and supportive care is available at present.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mike Carroll – whose children Ollie and Amelia both have the condition – said it was unbelievable to watch Mr Thomas complete the marathon on Thursday and added that it had been quite emotional to see him push himself to the absolute limit for children with the disease.
Ollie, nine, was diagnosed with the condition in 2015 and his sister Amelia, now seven, was diagnosed a month later.
He said: “It was unbelievable to watch but also quite hard to watch because we were watching a man push himself to the absolute limit. It was very touching, near the end I felt quite emotional, to be honest.
“To think someone has pushed their body to the limit for my children, not just my children but all the children with Batten’s disease.”
Mr Thomas had hoped to use a lighter plane, but that became unavailable so he had to use a 1,250kg Cessna Aircraft and completed two-mile loops of the airfield without any assistance at the turns. Before the attempt, he said: “You cannot really train for this, but I have been pulling my car up and down in an empty car park.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I’ve got to do it in 24 hours so I cannot take a break, I’ll not be sleeping so I will be pretty rough.”
He continued: “I’ll have a crazy level of exhaustion, but I’ve got a good support team and they will keep me going.”
You can find more information and donate to Carl Thomas’ fundraising efforts here.
Trending
Two North West cities named among the ‘noisiest’ in the UK – including Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new analysis has revealed a list of the noisiest cities in the UK, and two Greater Manchester locations are in the top five.
From blaring sirens and car horns, to house parties, barking dogs, and loud neighbours, escaping the noise of a city can feel almost impossible – even in your own home.
No matter whether you live in the hustle and bustle, or you’re out in the sleepier suburbs, noise can keep you up at night, disturb your peace, and lead to frustration. But just how loud are Greater Manchester’s cities compared to the rest of the UK? In a bid to get to the bottom of it, Alpine Hearing Protection has done some research to compile a top 10 list.
And both Salford and Manchester have found themselves not just within the top 10, but within the top five… and to make matters worse, Salford has actually claimed the number one spot.
The reason Salford has found itself at the top of the list, according to the research, is because it sits at the intersection of several major transport and urban hubs, with major motorways running through or around the city including the M60, M61, and M62.
Major rail routes also run through the city – including via Salford Crescent – which sees 16 million passengers every year, and also leads to Manchester Airport.
Top 10 noisiest cities in the UK
Salford
Portsmouth
Manchester
Southampton
London
Leeds
Stoke-on-Trent
Wakefield
Newcastle upon Tyne
Bradford
Parts of Salford are also very built-up, making pockets of the city noisy – especially in the concentrated centre where traffic, construction, nightlife and commercial activity get loud.
And of course, like any growing city, construction noises have been noted as ‘particularly bothersome’ for residents where major developments are springing up.
Manchester is third on the list of noisiest cities, due to many of the same reasons as Salford.
But the difference being that Mancunians are noted as one of the many reasons why the city is so loud – with residents making 5,301 noise complaints across Manchester between January 2024 and January 2025, and Hulme identified the loudest area with 304 complaints.
As well all know, Manchester is also home to many universities, which brings an active nightlife scene to the region, especially in the city centre, and in recent FOI data, it was revealed that the University of Manchester saw 2,049 noise complaints in the last five years.
Motorists warned of common winter driving habit that could land them with annoying fines
Emily Sergeant
With the temperatures drastically dropping now as we head into winter, motorists are being warned against a common driving habit.
On a wintry morning when the windscreens are frozen and your hands are equally as frozen too, it’s pretty common for drivers to start the engine, turn the heater right up, and remain stationary for several minutes to warm the car up before setting off on their journey… but did you know that doing this could see you, inadvertently, fall foul of the law?
That’s right – as ridiculous as it sounds, leaving your car engine running ‘unnecessarily’ while parked on a public road is illegal.
And to make matters worse, the rules on ‘engine idling’, as it’s known, apply regardless of whether the driver is using the heating, waiting for someone, or simply sitting in the vehicle.
Known as a stationary idling offence, Rule 123 of the Highway Code states that drivers must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while it is stationary on a public road, and according to the rule, a fixed penalty of up to £80 can be issued, right there and then.
Motorists are being warned of a common winter driving habit that could land them with annoying fines / Credit: PickPik | Wikimedia Commons
Fines will only be handed out if a motorist is stopped by a police officer who asks them to switch the engine off, and they fail to comply.
“However tempting it might be to sit in a vehicle with the engine running and the heater on to warm up, we strongly advice against it,” commented RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis.
“As well as polluting the air and wasting fuel, drivers who leave their engines idling unnecessarily on a public road also risk an on-the-spot fine of £80. On cold mornings, the best approach is to clear any ice or snow properly and ensure windows are fully de-misted before setting off, then get on your way and let the car warm you up.”
There are some exceptions to the rule, however, as keeping the engine running is permitted in certain circumstances.
This includes when a vehicle is stationary because of traffic conditions, when the engine needs to run so a mechanical fault can be investigated, or if certain work is being carried out on the side of the road.
Emily Sergeant -
18th September 2020 
