Army veteran sets off on 870-mile quick-march charity run inspired by Sir Tom

AN ARMY veteran inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore will run 870 miles in just 17 days to raise money for charity.

Eddie Towler, from Bradford, set off yesterday from John o’Groats in Scotland and he aims to run an average of 55 miles a day until he reaches Land’s End in

Cornwall on May 29. Mr Towler is raising money for the MS Society, the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association and ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.

The 52-year-old felt inspired to take on the gruelling challenge after watching Sir Tom walk 100 laps of his garden, shortly before his 100th birthday, during the first national lockdown in 2020, to raise £38.9m for the NHS.

Mr Towler joined the armed forces in 1984 and spent 12 years in the 1st Battalion Duke of Wellington Regiment – the same regiment that Keighley-born Sir Tom served in.

“At his age to go and do what he did, it just shows the true Yorkshire grit of being a Duke and a Yorkshireman,” he said.

“We all felt the pride of the regiment. I then decided, if Tom can do something, I will challenge myself.

“You only have one life, so it’s a case of making the best of it and trying to make as many memories as possible.”

After seeing Sir Tom’s efforts, Mr Towler completed 33 and 76mile runs in the first and second lockdowns.

He has raised more than £4,500 for his three chosen charities for the 870-miler so far, but hopes to reach £5,000 for each of them.

The veteran has chosen those charities because a friend from the Army and five other soldiers in their regiment are now living with multiple sclerosis.

He said: “Looking at the stats on the MS Society website, one

in 500 should have MS within the population of Britain. But unfortunately there’s six guys in a pool of 250 which is astronomical, so I’m running for them.”

Donations can be made on justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ Edwin-towler