This year I will swap my office for the Salisbury Plain Military Training Area, where I will attempt to march for 10km carrying 25kg on my back. That’s the weight of my rescue dog, Buddy, similar to over 5,000 hunting hounds that are languishing in hunt kennels across the UK.

Why am I doing this? To bring attention to the decision by our pro-hunt Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace MP, to remove our longstanding right to monitor hunts on Ministry of Defence (MOD) land.

Like Captain Sir Tom, I started my career in the Army, much of which was spent helping governments in the UK and abroad to uphold the rule of law. For our multi award winning registered charity, highly respected by police forces across the country, to be thrown off public land so hunts can go about their business without the necessary monitoring afforded under the Hunting Act, must be challenged.

Hunts continue to go unchecked on MOD land. One of these hunts has admitted to killing foxes, avoiding facing prosecution in court, due to the incompetence of MOD police.

Wild animals on MOD land have lost their guardians. It is the only major landowner that has banned the hunt monitors, rather than the hunts! Wherever animals roam in the UK, they should not be killed for fun and in secret, behind closed doors.

Nor should we stand by whilst hunt hounds endure often cruel treatment and miserable conditions, just so they can be used to kill other creatures for the entertainment of their masters. I wish I could put every one of them on my back and march them away to safety.

So, this is my personal stand against hunting, and I need your help raising funds to protect animals. Thank you for your support, I couldn’t take on this challenge without it.