When I left school over 30 years ago, one of my best friends went into the Army.  After many active tours, his service came to an end at the end of 2016, and he has a great career to show for it.

I told him countless times over the years how grateful I was to him for doing what he did for me and this wonderful country I live in.

He is one of many thousands of servicemen, women and animals to whom we owe our freedom.  This has been the case for hundreds of years but, in recent times, the plight of those who are no longer in active service has become much more prevalent.

It is wrong that they are not looked after in a manner befitting their commitment to protecting our safety, and the safety of those in perilous situations forced upon them by others.

In May 2017 I will turn 50 years old, so I’ve decided that in the 50 weeks leading up to this I will walk 50 miles every week - a total of 2,500 miles - and try to raise a pound for each mile.

The plan is to make this my 'mid-life crisis' – or ‘manopause’ -  and turn it into a positive thing for myself and, more importantly, repay some of the debt I owe to these Heroes.

It will only be a drop in the ocean to what is needed, so please help by donating whatever you can.

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