WALKING WITH THE WOUNDED ONCE MORE: TEAM HL PREPARES FOR THE CUMBRIAN CHALLENGE

A fundraising foursome from Team HL are on the last leg of training for a grueling hike through the Lake District in aid of Walking With The Wounded.

Tom Morley, Rob Pinks, Andy Groves and Simon Hawley, have pledged to raise £2,000 by taking part in the charity’s flagship fund-raising event, the Cumbrian Challenge, which aims to raise money to re-educate and re-train wounded servicemen and women.

The multi-peak hike on May 14th is expected to take the team up to 11 hours and involves a tough 32-kilometre route with 2,000-metre ascents, alongside teams of veterans that the charity is supporting back into society.

Tom said: “This will be our fourth year supporting this cause and raising funds for WWTW. It’s always been a cracking weekend, whatever the weather, and an incredibly worthwhile experience.

“We’ve set ourselves a team target of £2,000, which will change the life of at least one ‘at risk’ veteran and his or her family by getting them back into employment or independence – something we sometimes take for granted.

“Walking With The Wounded’s goal is to intervene early and identify veterans who are socially isolated, struggling with their mental health or caught up in police custody, before they fall too far, which we believe is a cause well worth fighting for,” he said.

Walking With The Wounded was established in 2010, and raises funds for the re-education and re-training of wounded servicemen and women who were forced to leave the Armed Forces as a result of their injuries and were not prepared for the move from one career to another.

WWTW helps fund training and education to help them find a career, so that they can support themselves and re-build a life in the civilian workplace, while also providing a support network to all injured veterans.

Tom added: “Last year’s event was the most successful since its launch, raising £340,222.33 – enough to fund one term of an academic course for 340 veterans, helping them back into meaningful and sustainable employment. We’re hoping that this year’s event raises even more for the cause.”