An 89 year old ex-para from Bingley completes 190 mile walking challenge
Jeffrey Long MBE, went an extra 11 miles, and walked 201 miles over the last two months
Last updated 14th May 2021
89 year old, Jeffrey Long MBE, an ex-para from Bingley, has completed his 190 miles walking challenge.
Jeffrey, who turns 90 in October, set off two months ago to walk 190 miles for The Royal British Legion and Support Our Paras (The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Charity).
He has walked 100 miles for the RBL to mark their centenary, plus a further 90 miles for Support Our Paras.
He completed his trek today (14th May), just one day before the Royal British Legion’s centenary.
His target was 190 miles, but after completing that last Friday, he decided to continue walking and finished 201 miles today at the Cenotaph in Bradford.
Jeffrey was a paratrooper from 1952-1957 and has gone on to raise more than £300,000 for charity over the past 14 years.
He said:
“I’ve really enjoyed the last few weeks - it has been hard, of course, to complete the 190 miles, but in spite of some physical problems I’ve managed to keep going. I do have a bad back and an ankle injury from my days as a para, so I’ve had to push myself at times."
Despite having daily chemotherapy and suffering back pain from a parachute malfunction in 1954 when he was serving with the 12th (Yorkshire) Parachute Battalion, Jeffrey has been hiking around the hills above his beloved Bingley to clock up the miles for his latest challenge, so far raising more than £3,200.
Helen Mason, Royal British Legion Community Fundraising Manager, said:
“Jeffrey is one of our most remarkable fundraisers, and we are delighted to have his support. He has dedicated his retirement to raising money for our armed forces community and this has been a fantastic effort. His commitment to our Armed Forces community is second to none.”