The Hotchkiss’ and Soderlund’s are embarking upon a bit of a challenge! This September we will be walking 60 miles (100 KM) across the South Downs in under 30 hours!  We start first thing (0630 on Saturday morning, September 21st) and finish (hopefully!) next morning, walking all throughout the night, around 0930.  

The Hotchkiss’ only made it to mile 46 last time so we are hoping to beat this.  

The charity’s we are raising money for are Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust

There are two people we would like to dedicate this walk to; Isla Donaldson who, after being diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukemia at the age of 2 in 2016, very sadly lost her battle recently after fighting so bravely for so long and Rifleman Suraj Gurung who's story we have included below...

Rifleman Suraj Gurung (All rights reserved.)

Rifleman Suraj, serving as part of Combined Force Nahr-e Saraj (South), was killed during a follow-up foot patrol after an attack on his patrol base. He was caught in an explosion when a suicide bomber detonated himself and he was killed in action.

He died at the front of his platoon, leading the way as he had done for the previous six months.

Rifleman Suraj Gurung

Rifleman Suraj Gurung was 22 years old and born and raised in the hill town of Gorkha in Nepal. He passed the notoriously gruelling process for Gurkha selection into the British Army in December 2007; becoming the first member of his family to achieve this feat.

In early January 2008 he made the journey from the tranquil foothills of the Nepalese Himalaya to Catterick in North Yorkshire as a trainee Rifleman ready to begin the arduous months of Gurkha infantry training.

In October 2008 he completed this training and travelled to Brunei to join 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles. As a result of his good command of English and his obvious intelligence he was immediately selected to be the platoon radio operator. This position is normally reserved for a senior Rifleman and as such it was testament to the high regard in which he was held so early on in his career.

Rifleman Suraj returned to the United Kingdom in August 2009 and was selected as the lead man in his patrol, known as the vallon man, for the upcoming tour to Afghanistan. His ability had again been singled out.

He deployed on Op HERRICK 12 in April 2010 and even from the start of the tour he was always confident and calm under pressure. As a soldier he excelled in Afghanistan; as the point man of every patrol he led his multiple unflinchingly across some of the most daunting and uncertain terrain, day after day, time after time.

For six months he had been finding IEDs and selecting safe routes, keeping those following behind safe.

Only recently married he leaves behind his wife and family in Nepal.