Losing ten stone to run the London Marathon

A Hampshire man is aiming to lose ten stone and to run the London Marathon in 2024 for our charity.

Last October Ben, who is 29 and from Portchester, made the decision that he had to do something about his weight which was having an impact on both his physical and his mental health. He says:

“Enough was enough, at 26 stone, I was finding life difficult, and I wanted to set a healthy example for my two children.

“I decided to lose the weight and to train for the London Marathon. To begin with just the thought of stepping inside a gym scared me. I could barely walk up the stairs at that point but now eight months on and I’ve already shed nine stone. My health has been greatly improved already and I am so proud of what I’ve achieved.”

Supporting our charity

Training for the marathon is helping Ben with his weight loss and is providing him with extra motivation to reach his goal.

Ben is running to raise money for our charity as we have supported his great grandad for the last 14 years.

His great grandad, who is now 94-years-old, served in the RAF between 1947 and 1955. He lost his sight due to glaucoma and now lives in a care home and is regularly visited by Ben. Ben says:

“Blind Veterans UK gave my great grandad more freedom after he lost his sight, they helped him greatly to be able to continue to access his computer which for him was his independence. Sadly, he can now no longer use a computer but it made him very happy while he could."

Ben says:

“It’s going to be an emotional event, personally for me it will mark my incredible achievement of reaching a healthy weight and completing 26 miles which would have been impossible just a few months ago. I’ll also know I have helped other families like mine, to give their loved ones back their independence and freedom after sight loss.”

Ben is hoping to raise £1,900 for our charity. You can show your support and help him to reach his fundraising target.