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Sport Relief is nearly here and celebrities and sports stars are coming to Manchester to take on various challenges to get active, raise cash and help change lives for the better.

On Thursday 18 March, comedians Nick Hancock and Justin Moorhouse, along with ex-Hollyoaks and Holby City actor Jeremy Edwards, are teaming up in a Dragon Boat race through Salford Quays with a bunch of other celebs ready to risk a splashing for Sport Relief.

Stars from the world of sport – England rugby player Austin Healey, England cricketer James Anderson, England footballer Rachel Brown, Olympic swimmer Steve Parry and former Great Britain Rugby League captain Paul Sculthorpe – will add some serious sporting muscle to the teams as they go head to head.

Battling with them on the one-mile course will be ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ North West Tonight presenters Tony Livesey, Annabel Tiffin and Dianne Oxberry, along with ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Lancashire's Graham Liver.

Experienced oarsmen from the Pool of Life Dragon Boat club in Liverpool make up the numbers in each boat – and keep the stars heading in a straight line over the mile course in Salford Quays.

The Dragon Boat Challenge takes place at 1.30pm on Thursday 18 March in the Huron Basin, outside the future home of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport in Salford Quays.

Follow the build up to the race on North West Tonight, on Tony Livesey's show on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 5 Live and in Graham Liver's Breakfast Show on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Lancashire.

You can sponsor the team by going to www.mysportrelief.com/dragonboatteam.

And the challenges, bravely taken on by local personalities, do not stop there.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Manchester's sports reporter Ian Cheeseman will be teaming up with World Champion tandem cyclist Barney Storey in a tour of all nine Premier League and Football League grounds covered by the station.

On Friday 19 March, Cheeseman's Challenge will see Ian and Barney ride nearly 100 miles in tandem, pushing off from Macclesfield Town and finishing at Manchester City.

Come down to your club to cheer on the plucky pair as they stop off for a welcome rest along the way at Stockport County, Oldham Athletic, Rochdale FC, Bury FC, Bolton Wanderers, Wigan Athletic and Manchester United.

Support Cheeseman's Challenge at www.mysportrelief.com/iancheeseman.

And you can join in the fun on Sunday 21 March, when thousands of people will take to the streets across the UK to run The Sainsbury's Sport Relief Mile in Manchester. Full details of all the challenges and events taking place near you can be found at www.sportrelief.com

All the money you raise will be spent by Sport Relief to help disadvantaged people, both at home in the UK and across the world's poorest countries, to turn their lives around.

Notes to Editors

Further information about Sport Relief is available at www.sportrelief.com. Sport Relief is an initiative of Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland).

JC4