Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. 

WHO AM I? -  My name is Ian Houghton. I've recently turned 53 & was born with Spina Bifida. I was extremely lucky to have a very skilled surgeon & was operated on at 6 months old. My mother was initially informed that I wouldn't survive the operation & then after I did, was informed that I'd probably never walk & end up wheelchair-bound, which obviously, I'm not, & yes, I can walk.

I work in private security in London & live in Leigh on Sea, adjacent to the Thames Estuary. Some of you will know me better as  'Tommy 14/18' from various Living History/ re-enactment events, or as the 'Captain' in the short film 'Ralph'.

I'm not ex -Regular Forces. I'd always wanted a career in the Forces, but alas it wasn't to be due to my having been born with Spina Bifida.

.WHAT DID I DO? - On the  21st -22nd June 2014, I attempted to walk  100 kms; from London to Brighton & aimed to do it within 24 hrs &, with it being the 'Centenary of the Great War', coupled with the fact that, 'St. Dunstan's', as it was originally known (re-branded as 'Blind Veterans UK' in 2011), was set up specifically to help Soldiers & Sailors that were blinded in WW1,  I attempted the 100 kms in WW1 kit!

WHAT DID I WEAR? - The profile picture you see shows me in an 'original' 1923 Officer's Pattern uniform, identical to those worn in the Great War & what I wore for the walk. I carried the equivalent of approximately 42 lbs (20 kgs or the equivalent of 3 stone) in weight. The boots are a reproduction of the B5 army issue boot, complete with 'hobnails' & 'horseshoe' heel & equally as uncomfortable as the original boots! I drew the line at at 'Iron Rations' - 'Bully Beef & Biscuit' - &  partook of more modern foods! The three 'modern day' items that I  carried (two out of necessity) were a mobile phone, head torch & pocket camera.

WHY DID I DO IT? -  I walked for all the brave service personnel throughout the ages who have sacrificed so much for our safety & way of life & continue to do so...I feel in this day and age it is all too easy to be blase about the role our service personnel play & adopt an attitude of 'oh well, they knew what they were getting into when they signed up'...Sadly because death & injury happens all too frequently involving our troops. It seems to me that society in general  has become 'desensitized' to it all. So I decided it was time to give something back & show some small token of my gratitude.

I'm also walked in honour of the memory of my Great Great Uncle, Pte.18094, William J Rudge, 7th MGC (formerly of 3 Btn Worcesters) who died during the 1st German attack at 'Vimy' on May 23, 1916 aged just 21 (he lied about his age), &  distant Cousin, Pte.8321, Reginald Rudge, 2 Btn Worcesters, who had died the previous year: May 25th, 1915 at Festubert, aged 23.

On a personal level, I had never walked this distance on a timed basis (or any other) before & being 'over 50', saw it as something of a personal challenge on a number of different levels.

WHAT DID I HOPE TO ACHIEVE? - I hoped to raise as much as possible, but at least £1500 for Blind Veterans UK in order to cover the cost of a stand alone Document Scanner/Reader. (I've since surpassed this amount, so let's see exactly 'how much' I can raise for them?)

Also, to complete the walk within a 24 hr period would have  been great, but as it was my first time & in that type of kit, I would have been happy to just complete the walk within a qualifying time.

WHAT HAD I DONE PRIOR TO THE WALK? - Apart from training, I did two interviews; one with 'The People's Friend' magazine which was released on 14th June 2014 & one with my local paper the 'Echo', which was released back on Monday 13/01/14. It also went 'viral' locally ending up in half a dozen other local papers. I am touched by how supportive & generous everyone, including friends & work colleagues have been. Also to the general public who saw me when I was out training, some going out of their way to specifically put money in the collecting tin...Thank you all so much!

WHAT TRAINING DID I DO ?-  I had to fit it in around my shift pattern. I averaged 15 mile walks, but not as often as I would have liked, due to work, etc. I managed to fit in one 50 km walk prior to the event.

WHAT CAN YOUR DONATION ACHIEVE FOR BLIND SERVICEMEN & WOMEN? - £30 raised could help buy a 'Talking Watch' to help a blind person tell the time. £350 raised can help buy accessible 'Software' which allows a visually impaired person to navigate a computer screen, whilst £1500 could pay for a 'Stand - Alone Scanner' that converts documents so that they can be read aloud to the user.

ALTHOUGH THE WALK IS OVER YOU CAN STILL DONATE!

HOW DO YOU DONATE? - Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity. Just click the red 'Donate' button & it'll guide you through the rest!

Or alternatively simply text IANH61 plus the amount to 70070. You wont be charged for the call regardless of what network you are on.

Many Thanks! 'Tommy 14/18'

The 'real heroes' are the 'blind veterans', a few of which (in some cases, double amputees) also participated in the walk & were/are an inspiration to us all...'You guys rock!'

Update 23/06/14