A local veteran has been running five miles every day around Melksham carrying the Royal British Legion flag to raise funds for the charity ahead of Remembrance Day.
Stephen Crawshaw-Bowen began the challenge on 11th October and will continue running until Remembrance Day on 11th November to raise funds for the RBL, which has supported him and his family since his 12 years of service in the army.
“I think of the army like a relay race,” says Stephen, who served in the Infantry with the Yorkshire Regiment.
“When you leave, you pass on a baton. Now that I have left, it doesn’t stop me from supporting the armed forces and RBL. Doing a challenge like this is something I have always wanted to do.”
If running five miles every day wasn’t a challenge enough, Stephen holds the RBL flag on a pole for the entire run.
“I started by wearing it on my back and holding it, but it was starting to make my arm ache, so I needed to change that. The flag displays a lone solider, a poppy, a spitfire and a Royal Navy ship,” says Stephen, who prepared for the challenge by running five miles every other day before working up to running the distance daily.
“I haven’t been running a lot since I left the army where you have to do a certain amount of fitness. I haven’t really done cardio for about a year and a half!”
Stephen, who now works as a maintenance engineer in Frome, said the community have been supportive during his runs. “I mainly get a lot of car beeps,” he says.
The Royal British Legion charity helps members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, veterans and their families.
To show support for Stephen visit his fundraising page https://gofund.me/303596ca
