Squaddies' charity trek from Great Barr to Selly Oak

Dec 30 2009 by Catherine Lillington, Birmingham Mail

SQUADDIES home on leave trekked more than 11 miles, each carrying a 22-kilo backpack, across Birmingham for their brothers in arms.

The young soldiers are yet to see any action themselves but wanted to raise money for the Help for Heroes cause as they prepare to head to Afghanistan in 2011.

Cars pulled over and passers-by donated handfuls of £10 and £5 notes into their collection buckets on the walk from Great Barr to Selly Oak yesterday.

Friends Private Luke Tuckey, 20, and Trooper Daniel Sumner, 18, are regulars at the Cat & Fiddle in Great Barr whose licensees organised the fund-raiser. Landlord George Kirkham began helping the charity after meeting wounded soldiers at a parade where his 24-year-old son Sean was awarded a service medal following a heavy tour of Afghanistan, as a corporal with 2 Rifles. He said: “My son’s regiment have had it real rough out there. They suffered the biggest losses with 13 dead and 30-odd wounded.

“When my lad came home we went over to Northern Ireland for his medal parade and we ended up in the sergeants’ mess with all the wounded. I was startled to see them all. They’re young kids. The first lad we spoke to had lost both his legs and his arms. Another lad had lost his eyes. They were shot to pieces. My own lad lost his two best mates. We decided over the Christmas period to do as much as we can to raise money.”

So far George, aged 50 and his wife Michelle, 42, have helped raise £3,300 from similar events and sent 400 food parcels to troops from a collection pot on the bar.

Pte Tuckey, serving in the Mercian regiment, said: “Taking part in this has given me a good insight into people’s support.”