Participants from Preston North End Community and Education Trusts Armed Forces programme are uniting virtually to complete a 837-mile distance challenge in aid of vulnerable veterans.

Members of the PNECET Forces programme will join forces to run, walk or cycle the equivalent length, via road, in distance from Jon OGroats to Lands End with the target of raising £837, which will be used to provide food parcels for vulnerable veterans.

Any excess funds will be donated to a charity of Armed Forces participants choice.

Participants will be tasked with completing the 837-mile distance in just three weeks, from Monday 15th February until Monday 8th March, and donations can continue to be made until Monday 15th March, when food parcels will then start to be distributed.

The challenge will also replicate the physical activity element of the PNECET Forces programme that is currently absent due to the Coronavirus pandemic. While social sessions are being conducted via Zoom, veterans have been unable to get together for their usual football hour at the PNE Community Training Centre on a Wednesday night.

Alistair White, who oversees the PNECET Forces provision, said: We are continuing to engage with our PNECET Forces programme members, but this challenge presents a great opportunity to involve them in physical activity once again while fundraising for a very worthy cause.

The Armed Forces community are extremely supportive of one another and we hope to harness that unity to raise as many funds as possible for other vulnerable Armed Forces veterans, particularly during these challenging times.

Were looking forward to getting started with the challenge next week, and Im confident that our Forces participants will represent themselves and our community with pride while taking on this testing, but ultimately worthwhile challenge, at their own physical expense!