Towpath charity walkers beaten-up

THREE fundraisers training for a 125 miles charity walk have been beaten-up on the towpath of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

The three thought their ordeal would be the actual walk, but it proved to be a gang of teenage thugs whose mentality had them object to these people helping others, so launched a vicious attack that put all three in hospital, Alan Tilbury reveals.

Kicked in the face and body

Gareth Cottrell  needed ten stitches in his cheek after one of the attackers slashed him across the face with a key.  His bother Fraser and friend Josh Fitzpatrick were battered to the floor and kicked in the face and body.

The three fundraisers were very depressed that their attempt to help others should have triggered such an hate-filled attack.

Towpath in Stalybridge

The attack happened on the towpath in Stalybridge, where they were completing a training walk in preparation for a 125 miles charity walk along the Anglesey Coastal Path in North Wales, aiming to raise £1,000 for Cancer Research.

The three came across of  a gang of ten youths who were fishing and drinking beer, who yelled insults at the three. throwing stones., calling them names for being so worthy. Though the three fled down the towpath, the gang caught up with them and launched the savage attack.

Joined in

At one point, a man approached,  and the three hoped he would intervene, but astonishingly, he joined in the assault, and it was he who slashed Gareth across the face with a key causing the deep gash.

Eventually the three were able to escape when a police community support officer appeared, who took them to hospital.