Military charity Help for Heroes calls for participants for its first 25km Heroes Hike through the Lincolnshire Wolds to help support veterans like David Parker, 59

A military charity is encouraging people to sign up for its first-ever event in the county to help veterans.

The Heroes Hike challenge is coming to Lincolnshire to raise money for Help for Heroes, a charity that provides recovery and support for the Armed Forces community.

Beginning and ending in Market Rasen, the 25km trek through the Lincolnshire Wolds will take place on Saturday, April 6, and is expected to take between six and eight hours to complete.

Hikers will receive a free headband, tea/coffee and snacks, as well as a kit list and training plan.

More than 56,000 people in the county have served in the military, one of which is David Parker, 59, who lives near RAF Waddington and was an army medic.

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“I think the forces takes you and breaks you,” he said.

“It can be hard for people who haven’t served to understand what it’s like, but it can make it harder to fit into civilian life.”

He joined the army in 1980 as a musician at aged 16, but them went on to serve in the first Gulf War.

After this, David’s regiment was one of the first to witness what happened in the Bosnian war, leaving him with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

“I still have the bad dreams, and I still have the terrifying flashbacks of what I saw that wake me up – I just don’t feel alone now,” he added.

After leaving in 1995, David joined the prison service, where he worked for more than 20 years.

“If the team from Help for Heroes had not been here, I would not be here today.

“To any member of the Armed Forces community who is struggling, I would say just make the first move and talk to someone.

“It can be hard to take the first step as there is a lot of self-pride there, but it is worth it, you have to learn to live again.”

Participants in the Heroes Hike must pay a £49 registration fee per person and they are given an individual fundraising target of £200 each.

More information and sign up forms can be found here.

Will you be taking part? Share in the comments.