A group of veterans are preparing to walk 80 miles to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day and to support a vital service.
The team of ex-forces personnel who attend the Veterans Hub in Weymouth are taking up the challenge to mark the landmark anniversary and at the same time raise money for the service which has been in financial difficulty over the past year.
Although the financial situation at the hub is now much improved after a big fundraising effort it still relies heavily on donations and fundraising to keep it afloat.
The group taking part in the huge challenge have called themselves Benji’s Bandits after the beloved hub dog Benji.
Tim Creed, one of the hub’s directors said: “Last year the group raised more than £7,000 by completing the gruelling Three Peaks challenge.
"This year the amazing Benji's Bandits team are walking 80 miles to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings."
The team will undertake the challenge in stages - firstly by walking 36 miles from Swanage to Weymouth on August 10.
The final section of the walk will take place the following day when members of the public are invited to join the team as they walk from Overcombe Corner to the Veterans Hub in Portland Road, Wyke Regis.
The team will then travel to Normandy over the weekend of September 7-8, where they will walk 44 miles from Pointe du Hoc to Pegasus Bridge, across the beaches that allied forces landed on during D-Day.
Mr Creed added: “Along the way this mixed ability and intrepid team of veterans, families, and supporters, will push through personal barriers to complete the challenge whilst raising funds for the lifesaving project that is close to all of their hearts and a huge part of the veteran’s community in Dorset.”
READ MORE: Veterans to climb three peaks to raise money for charity
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The Veterans Hub is a grass routes organisation that provides immediate support to veterans, their families, and those still serving, when they need it the most.
At the time of writing the team have raised £120 towards a £10,000 goal.
If you would like to donate to the fundraiser, visit: https://donorbox.org/benjis-bandits-d-day-challenge.
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