This June, we’ll be taking on the Sea to Summit Trek in Crete together, a demanding journey from the coastline to the mountains, to raise vital funds for Walking With The Wounded.

It is two years since a group of us trekked across the Sahara in aid of Walking with Wounded; long enough ago for the memories of sore feet and tired legs to fade. So, this time we are walking in Crete from the seashore on the southern coast, up the Samaria Gorge to the top of Omalos in the central mountain range. We will be trekking through countryside which has been fought over for centuries; most recently in World War II. We will follow the supply routes used by the partisans, who assisted by SOE, harried the occupying Germans and Italians. One of the more remarkable feats was the capture and abduction of General Heinrich Kreipe in April 1944 immortalised in the film “Ill met by Moonlight”.

The trek will involve us climbing 3439m and descending 2254m in temperatures of between 28° and 30°. It will be an endurance test for us, especially given that we are even deeper into our sixties than last time.

The trek has particular resonance for me because my father was a Royal Engineer in the SOE, parachuted behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia in 1943, and a great friend of his, also a sapper, did the same in Crete and on the Greek mainland. Sappers were much valued by the SOE for their skill in demolition. The trek will be a chance to get some sense of what it must have been like to there, albeit without the extreme danger, and to honour the memory of the SOE personnel and the resistance fighters.

Walking with the Wounded supports ex-service personnel, whether mentally, physically or socially wounded, who are in need. It offers personalised employment support, mental health and wellbeing support, and support care coordination to help veterans who are struggling after military service. It seeks to empower veterans by reigniting their sense of purpose, enabling them to make a positive contribution to their communities and lead independent lives.

It is an immensely worthwhile cause. I have a fund-raising target of £5,000. Every penny generously given will go to the charity. I know that Walking with the Wounded will be really grateful for anything that you feel able to give.