REMPLOY manager Stephen Brown has helped his Radcliffe factory undertake a historic round-Britain challenge - by completing an underwater scuba-diving marathon.

He took the plunge at Bury's Castle Leisure Centre to help the Eton Hill Road site celebrate the company's 60th anniversary.

To mark the occasion, Remploy had invited each of its 83 sites to take part in a mammoth 2,500-mile Jubilee Journey around the country.

But rather than pound the roads, each business was challenged to complete the equivalent mileage between their factory and the next in any "virtual" way they thought of.

Workers at Remploy Radcliffe were faced with a 20-mile total between their factory and Remploy Manchester in Wythenshawe. For Stephen, the answer was simple. He'd just returned from scuba diving in the Red Sea where he clocked up many a mile of underwater exploring.

He just needed to top this up by swimming the extra miles, and the staff at the Castle Leisure Centre were more than happy to help. Two factory employees were on hand to ensure that, rather than coming up for air, their boss stuck to the bottom of the pool.