AN OFFICE interior design company has been hailed after it raised £16,000 for a disability charity.

Birchwood-based Claremont Group Interiors raised the total for Warrington Disability Partnership after naming it as their charity of the year.

The £16,000 total contributed towards WDP’s 25th anniversary Legacy Appeal, which will be used to employ young disabled people in the town.

Kelvin Close-based Claremont held raffles, staff breakfasts and triathlons to raise the money, but the big event was a 42-mile canoeing challenge over the space of two days including a night’s camping.

A 31-strong team battled capsizes and drowned mobile phones as they raised £8,000 for WDP.

Emma Riley from Claremont said: “There were a few people who hadn’t been camping before – one of our directors brought his slippers and his dressing gown.

“The weather was so nice, which you’d think was a good think but the water was so still and it was like going through treacle.

“There were a few tears and fallouts but from that alone we raised over £8,000.”

WDP chief executive and cofounder Dave Thompson thanked Claremont staff for their efforts.

He said: “Being chosen as a charity of the year by an organisations that’s so passionate about raising funds for local community organisations is an honour.

“Nobody has ever raised the type of money that they have raised for us.”