A 16-STRONG consortium of "angels" has made a dream come true for a North Lincolnshire father-of-two who has his sights set on becoming a world champion in Rio De Janiero in 2016.

A rule change almost dashed the hopes of Alan Rayment, who had both his legs amputated in 1997, of competing against the world's top paratriathletes.

Alan, 35, said: "The rule change requires all paratriathletes to hand-cycle in a recumbent position, which left me requiring new specialist equipment to compete".

It was at this stage the Corus steel company, the corporate partner of British Triathalon, came to the rescue.

The Scunthorpe business immediately pledged £1,500 and embarked on a challenge to find other backers.

No sooner said than done, 15 suppliers and contractors to Corus agreed to chip in a further £5,500 to get Alan on the road to Rio.

Sean Lyons, the Corus site director in Scunthorpe, said: "This is a fantastic example of businesses coming together for the good of the community."

The inspirational athlete started to repay some of the debt to his backers, when he made his debut for Great Britain in the European championships in Ireland and returned home with a bronze medal.

Alan, a fitness instructor at the town's North Lindsey College and has raised thousands of pounds for local charities since 1997, said: "I am amazed by this help and support. I will wear all their logos with pride.