RAISING £2,000 for charity has taken the weight off a Dunfermline man's shoulders.

Jim Fox spent his Saturday afternoon walking across the Forth Road Bridge with a 50kg sack of coal on his back.

It sounded like a daunting challenge but the 52-year-old took it in his stride and completed the feat in a remarkable time after starting at 1pm.

He told the Press: "You wouldn't believe me if I told you – it took me 30 minutes!

"It was easier than I thought and I felt really good.

"The weather was lovely all week, and then it started hammering down in the morning.

"That's Scotland, eh? Typical.

"It helped having friends and family there to follow me across and provide me with the motivation to keep going.

"I really felt good on the day but I do have this feeling at the back of my mind that I could have walked back across, and I think I will do that next time for charity again.

"My son bought me a bottle of Jack Daniels to have after it was all over.

"I haven't had a drink since January or February, and the bottle still remains untouched!"

Jim competed in the Scottish Coal Carrying Championships in Kelty from 2009 to 2016 before the competition was cancelled due to lack of funding.

He completed the one-and-a-half-mile walk for Cancer Research UK, and smashed his initial £500 target.

He decided to take on the challenge after two close friends died from cancer.