A VETERAN, his daughter and a dog will make an early morning festive pilgrimage in honour of service personnel past and present.

Andy Denholm, from West Cornforth, served eight years as a Non Commissioned Officer signals instructor with The 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars.

He is a keen genealogist and local historian and was behind the creation of a memorial containing 19,240 handmade poppies, representing each British soldier killed on first day of the Battle of the Somme, which was displayed in Cornforth over the remembrance period.

But his latest mission focuses on the present rather than the past and was inspired by someone he saw at the 2017 Birmingham International Tattoo last month.

He said: “There was this double amputee, he had lost both his legs in Afghanistan and he told his story and that inspired me to want to do something for charity.

“Seeing him walk into the arena with two artificial legs, I was pretty gobsmacked and wanted to know more.”

That man, Sapper Clive Smith, is an ambassador for the charity Troop Aid which supports servicemen and women by providing basic but essential supplies if they get injured on duty or training and are taken to hospital.

Mr Denholm said: “If they're hurt, picked up and dropped off at a hospital Troop Aid gives them a grab bag. Service personnel are used to routine, and these bags give a bit of that back.

“This isn’t about helping them recover through sports and jobs but way before that, when they need some essential supplies while they are being treated.”

To support the charity, the father-of-three will do a sponsored walk in the early hours of Christmas morning along with daughter Heather, a 19-year-old hairdresser, and their pet dog, spaniel Ted.

At around 2.30am they will swap their warm beds for hi-vis winter clothing and headlamps and leave their home in Beech Road. They will walk about 16 miles through Tursdale, Coxhoe, Ludworth and Haswell - laying a cross at each war memorial - and hope to reach Seaham’s WW1 soldier statue 1101, known as Tommy, in time for sunrise.

Heather said: “I’ve always like to do charity stuff, I feel I have to give back. This is a chance to help people now and remember those lost along the way.”

The duo hope to fund a number of the charity's £30 grab bags which contain items like razors, underwear and a toothbrush.

Donations can be made online via troopaid.info, with the message ‘Christmas Day 16 Mile Walk Andy Denholm County Durham’.