Man to run 100 miles between castles for charity

A man is set to run 100 miles (160km) between castles in two different countries to support a charity after it provided life-changing support to his family.

David Graham, from Wroughton in Wiltshire, will take on the challenge between Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland and Edinburgh Castle on Saturday.

He is raising money for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, which has supported his father and mother, and also offered help to his aunt and uncle after a house fire.

Graham said he was "forever grateful" for the charity, which stepped in for his loved-ones when they "needed it most".

His father served for more than 15 years in the military and reached the rank of sergeant in the Royal Corps of Transport. His mother worked for the Ministry of Defence for more than 20 years and his uncle served in the King's Own Royal Border Regiment.

All three have been helped by SSAFA, which provides social care, advice and housing for serving personnel, their families and veterans.

"When I decided to take on this challenge I had a conversation with my dad," Graham told BBC Radio Wiltshire.

"After deciding to go with SSAFA, I had further conversations with family members and I discovered they'd actually helped my mum out when she went through difficult times, with emotional support and help with accommodation.

"Then I also found out that they'd provided support to my auntie and uncle when they suffered a house fire many years ago, they provided carpets and white goods. For that, I'll be forever grateful."

Graham's challenge, organised through Rat Race, is estimated to take a total of 30 hours and will be a mixture of running and walking.

He has a selection of audiobooks and podcasts ready to for the run, and said his wife had prepared videos of encouragement which he can play when "things get hard".

Graham added: "The physical challenge is hard in itself but there is also the mental battle.

"Going through the night will be the hardest bit to keep motivated. From what I heard from last year's race, a lot of people quit during the night.

"I'm under no illusion how difficult this will be."

Graham has raised £1,500 so far ahead of his challenge.

Elizabeth Rossiter, senior events officer at SSAFA, said: "David is an incredible supporter of SSAFA and the determination he has shown - both in his training and in taking on such a demanding challenge - truly reflects the spirit of our Armed Forces community."

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