WHEE! He may be managing director of two York-based shoe shop empires, but there's one piece of footwear Stuart Paver was determined to get used to - waterskis.

So he challenged himself to water ski for five miles, constantly traversing Loch Lomond.

The former finalist in the Evening Press Business Personality of the Year Awards, who had previously skied only four times, had three reasons for braving the terrible cold of the lake.

One: He was celebrating the opening at Lomond Shores of his 30th and largest store, called Catherine Kinloch, after his mother, Catherine Kinloch Paver, who founded the original store in York.

TWO: He was celebrating his Shoeshop.com getting to the finals of the Exporting e-tailer of the Year in the Fashion UK Exports Awards, the ceremony which will be atttended by the Princess Royal, in London, on June 12.

THREE: Most importantly, he was raising money for cancer research. At the last count sponsorship money reached £4,000 and Stuart has pledged to match the sum pound for pound.

He said: "I enjoyed it, even though it was really cold out there and I crashed out three times. Given the right circumstances I might be prepared to do it again sometime.

"But no, I don't think I'll be stocking skis."

Updated: 10:10 Tuesday, May 27, 2003