A GREAT-grandfather has been presented with a personalised pie for his charity efforts.

Despite now being in a wheelchair, 87-year-old Joseph Beck wanted to continue raising money for charity.

So the pensioner from Sacriston, near Chester-le-Street, took part in a seven-mile wheelchair push which raised £1,300 for the Great North Air Ambulance.

Mr Beck and son Ken came up with the idea of the sponsored push from Durham Masonic Hall to Chester-le-Street Masonic Hall and the pair were joined by 15 Freemasons and fellow wheelchair-user Peter Taylor, 51, from Washington.

The fundraisers stopped to enjoy a pie from Taylors Butchers at Framwellgate Moor en route and staff there were so impressed with their feat that they subsequently handed Mr Beck a pie bearing his name to congratulate his efforts.

Ken Beck said: “Since Dad cannot attend the Freemasons anymore, he still wanted to raise money for charity and so we decided on this challenge.

We had a great time at the walk and everyone was generous and supportive of our efforts.

“My dad loved his pie. We’re very grateful”.

John Green, manager at Taylors said: “We were so touched by their fundraiser and they said the pies were the highlight of their day, that we wanted to show our appreciation for their hard work.”

One of the walkers, Mark Gilpin, 59, formally of Chester-le-Street and now living in Morpeth, was airlifted to hospital after a head-on car crash in 1992.

Mr Gilpin said: “It took me two and a half hours to be cut out of the wreckage and I lost six and a half pints of blood at the scene. I had 14 hours of surgery and spent four weeks in intensive care. I wasn’t expected to live. I wouldn’t be here without those that fought hard to save me including the Great North Air Ambulance.”