Man, 85, walks 100km in four days in replica soldier’s uniform

A MAN walked 100km while wearing a replica First World War army uniform to raise money for the Royal British Legion.

John Green, 85, who is chairman of the Henley and Peppard branch of the charity, walked 25km each day between Friday and Monday and raised more than £2,500.

Each day he walked from his home in Maidensgrove to Checkendon, stopping at the Black Horse pub for refreshments before heading back.

He said: “It felt really good and I’m very pleased and proud to have raised this money for the charity. On the walks I found incredible support and generosity from passers-by, including cyclists and motorists.

“It was particularly demanding because I was carrying a deactivated rifle and a rucksack, which probably weighted more than 10kg altogether.

“The first day was okay, the second was also fine but on the third day I had to stop more frequently to rest.

“It was nice to finally complete it and be able to put my feet up on Monday evening.

“Everyone at the pub was really welcoming and supportive. I received a lot of cash directly from the customers and when I got back home my neighbours were waiting for me outside and clapped as I arrived.

“I am very lucky at my age to be able to do something like this and I hope the charity will benefit from it.

“I’m now in a recovery mode and don’t think I’ll walk very far for a few days.”

He was among thousands of people nationwide taking part in the Captain Tom 100 Challenge, a UK-wide initiative started by the Captain Tom Foundation.

This was set up to honour Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised more than £38 million for the NHS by walking 100 lengths of his garden during the coronavirus pandemic. He died in February, aged 100.

Mr Green said: “It’s all down to Captain Tom and the inspiration he provided for so many people and how the foundation encouraged so many people to help a charity of their choice.”

Meanwhile, fellow branch member Ania Kozniewska, 74, from Henley, took on a different challenge and raised more than £1,800 for the Legion.

She rowed 30km from Goring to Henley, swam 50 lengths of a 25m pool and walk 20km over four days. She also joined Mr Green at the pub to show her support.

Ms Kozniewska said: “The biggest challenge for me was swimming 50 lengths of the pool because I hadn’t swum in 15 years, so I was really happy to be able to do it and it felt really good.

“Rowing was great fun — there was a huge sense of community as I was rowing with seven other people in two different boats and I had people encouraging me from the bank, which felt really empowering.

“John did a great job and it was nice to have someone collecting money for the same cause.”