A RESERVIST Army officer had heads turning when he passed through the region towing an eight foot tall 18-stone statue of a soldier on a trolley.

Major Robin Hood who leads a force’s charity aimed at helping veterans get back into work by training them as HGV drivers, towed his statue, called Jock, into Durham Market Place yesterday.

He is on a 400-mile journey from Dumfries to London, to commemorate the 100 years since the end of the First World War and to raise money for the Carsethorn-based Southwest Scotland RNR.

Maj Hood, who took over the running of the charity two years ago, said: “I have now got funding from the Government that allows us to fund training programmes to train veterans to become HGV drivers. It costs about £4,000 to train each person.

“As a nation we are 80,000 drivers short. The fact that we are now helping get veterans back into work is good.”

He added: “This (walk) is to create publicity for the charity and also a way to pay respect to the millions of men who lost their lives in the First World War.

“My great-grandfather was one of those who died on the Somme. And his son, my grandfather, died of wounds suffered at Dunkirk in the Second World War.

“My son has done six tours in Iran and Afghanistan and I am a reservist officer.”

Jock was made by the chainsaw carver, Peter Bowsher.