A retired boatbuilder who was in a wheelchair after a fall will soon have a new way to exercise and get better.

Stuart Allison, 68, from Heath Road, Hickling, spent six years building a boat with a sliding exercise seat, which he will use on the Broads.

He said: "I will take my two dogs on the boat and go out and exercise to get better. I've named the boat after one of my dogs, Abbie.

"It has a sliding seat that gives your legs exercise. I will use it as much as I can. It cost about £6000 to build from scratch, and my mate made the hull."

Mr Allison, who has been a boatbuilder since leaving school, will launch it at Swallowtail Boatyard in Ludham at 1pm on Wednesday, September 18.

He was forced to retire after suffering a fall on untreated ice in North Walsham in 2010.