Ex-soldier Nigel Wickenden completing 1,000 mile charity walk in Spalding to raise funds for ABF The Soldiers' Charity

Podcasts and music have been keeping an ex-soldier entertained as he journeys on a 1,000 mile charity walk.

On Thursday (July 28), Nigel Wickenden (72) is due to complete that distance within his target of 100 days.

The Spalding man is raising funds for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, formerly the Army Benevolent Fund, and has clocked up just over £1,100 so far.

He intends to finish near Vernatt’s Drain, which is close to his home in the north of the town.

Mr Wickenden, who served in the army for 13 years from 1967-1980, admits repeating similar walking routes has become boring at points - but he has been keeping himself entertained with a selection of podcasts.

Those have included a First World War programme and The Rest Is Politics - and upon running out of episodes, he switched to listening to music.

In October last year, the former Lincolnshire policeman completed the Frontline Walk, a 100km charity trek over three days - and got a huge blister for his troubles.

Mr Wickenden said: “I thought, well, I don’t really want to do that walk again. Although I won’t be going with them this year, I’ll find funds some other way and get donations to the charity.”

He has started each day at home, taking on various routes around Spalding and the surrounding areas.

A regular one includes heading to Vernatt’s Drain and cutting across in the direction of the Johnson Community Hospital, before heading back to Bourne Road, a Horseshoe Road allotment and back round to Monks House Lane.

By repeating certain parts of the stroll, this allows him to cover around ten miles each day.

He added: “Some days I don’t do so much and some days I do more. When I go shopping that’s between 1.9 and 2.4 miles depending on which shops I go to.

“It’s raising awareness that today’s soldiers and ex-soldiers, and their families, may need help.

“It’s a national charity for the army, and it does look after serving soldiers - those injured in Afghanistan and places like that.”

Another stroke of inspiration for the challenge came to Mr Wickenden in April, when he saw an 82-year-old man appear on TV after walking 100 miles in ten days.

“I thought If I can do something similar or better, bigger, I might get on as well,” he said.

Anybody wishing to donate to Mr Wickenden’s cause can do so at: https://events.soldierscharity.org/fundraisers/nigelwickenden