Heroic soldier inspires trek for charity on Coast to Coast route
THE MANAGING director of a Leeds maintenance firm will tackle a gruelling 192-mile coastto-coast trek in memory of a Yorkshire soldier killed during a rescue mission in Afghanistan.
Heroic Private Gregg Stone, from Hull, was just 20 years old when he was shot dead in Helmand Province while attempting to rescue a police officer kidnapped by insurgents in 2012.
Former police officer Lee Garner, the managing director of Whinmoor firm Capability, never knew Pte Stone, who served with the 3rd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, but was touched by what happened to him and wanted to do something to both recognise his sacrifice, and that being made on a daily basis by servicemen and women on active duty.
He will set of along Alfred Wainwright’s Coast to Coast trail, from Robin Hood’s Bay to St Bees’ Head in Cumbria, on June 3, which marks the sixth anniversary of Pte Stone’s death. The hike will raise money for the Yorkshire Regiment Charitable Trust to help the work they do in supporting soldiers who have suffered poor health or financial hardship.
Mr Garner said his trek was part of a “Giving Back” drive at his firm, which includes donating three days a month to community and charity work, and cleaning the homes of vulnerable people or carrying out gardening for free.
He said: “The amount of support given to our ex-servicemen and women by the Government of the day is, quite frankly, poor. It takes charities and other voluntary workers to stand up for those people who have served our country bravely.
“Recent events have made some people fearful of showing their pride for our armed forces, but I frequently wear my Help For Heroes jumper to demonstrate that I’m very proud of our servicemen and women, that I care, and that I am not afraid to stand up for our boys and girls.
“We all have to do our bit, and that is exactly why I created ‘Giving Back’; so that I could give my services for free to those that need it the most.”