Running to aid blind veterans

An ex-serviceman from Ashford is set to run the Royal Parks Foundation half marathon this October for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for visionimpaired ex-Service men and women.

Ges Laker, 59, pictured, has been fundraising for Blind Veterans UK since 1986 and decided to tackle a half marathon in his latest efforts to raise awareness and vital funds for the charity.

He first heard about Blind Veterans UK whilst serving in the Royal Navy. He joined the Navy in 1971 and worked as a physical training instructor until 1991.

He said: “Blind Veterans UK is the chosen charity for the Fleet Air Arm Field Gun Crew and it’s how I first started fundraising for the charity. I kept fundraising for them even after I left the Navy.

“My biggest challenge was five years ago when I walked along the whole coast of the UK, which is some 6,500 miles. I completed it in little over a year and in the end I raised £30,000 for Blind Veterans UK.

“The Royal Parks Foundation half marathon is three days after my 60th birthday and I’m a little worried about how my knees will be holding up. However, I am very much looking forward to it.”

To sponsor Ges’s half marathon effort visit www. justgiving.com/Ges-Laker.