Ex-soldier Kev set for 475-mile charity cycling challenge
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
An ex-soldier from Wick will be cycling 475 miles in six days for a charity that supports veterans and wounded serving personnel.
Kev Stewart is among a team of 12 taking part in the challenge to raise money for The Not Forgotten, starting on Monday in London.
The cyclists include amputees as well as people with visual impairment, mental injury and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from their time in the forces.
Kev (44) was invited to take part at short notice after one of the team had to pull out, and he had no hesitation in accepting.
In July, Kev raised more than £1200 for the Royal British Legion by taking part in the three-day Pedal to Ypres challenge, cycling around battlefield sites and cemeteries in northern France and Belgium.
He will set off this weekend to meet up with the others taking part in the event billed as the Tour de Not Forgotten.
"It looks an awesome challenge and it's a lot bigger distance than what I did in France and Belgium," Kev said.
"It's all veterans that are doing it and some of them have got limbs missing."
The Not Forgotten was founded in 1920, in the aftermath of World War I.
The route for the tour forms roughly the shape of the charity’s logo, an elephant’s head. It starts at the grave of the founder, Marta Cunningham, in West Ealing, London, and goes to Portsmouth, Poole, Taunton, Bristol and Hereford before ending up at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on Saturday, September 23.
The cyclists will tackle distances of up to 95 miles a day over the six legs of the journey.
"I'm looking forward to it," Kev said. "It's a really good organisation that combats isolation and loneliness."
Kev served in Northern Ireland in the mid-1990s with The Highlanders, leaving the regular army with the rank of lance-corporal. He then joined the Territorial Army and had two tours in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2003.
His experiences in Afghanistan left him with PTSD.
Kev is now studying for a Christian theology degree through the Highland Theological College in Dingwall.
He is a committee member and flag-bearer for Legion Scotland's Wick, Canisbay and Latheron branch.
The Tour de Not Forgotten is supported by Bikecation and donations can be made online at www.justgiving.com/campaign/tourdenotforgotten
The Not Forgotten provides a programme of social activities, outings, respite and challenge breaks for veterans and wounded serving personnel aimed at improving physical and mental health, addressing isolation and loneliness and promoting a sense of community and balance.
