My very good friend Cpl Lloyd Newell, "Lloydy" to his pals, was fatally wounded whilst on operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on 16th June 2011. Lloydy will always be a dear friend to me - a hero, and an inspiration to so many. He loved his job, and made the ultimate sacrifice as so many of our armed forces do in doing it. His passing has left an enormous hole in the lives and hearts of all who know him, not least his wife and beautiful baby daughter.

As a tribute to Lloyd, myself, his brother and 14 friends are training to complete the Paras'10 P Coy Challenge on 9th September 2012. The race is 10 miles of sheer cross-country endurance, carrying 16kg in a bergen whilst wearing full length trousers and military boots. We are aiming to complete the course in the 1 hr 50 min and raise as much money as we possibly can for 'The Parachute Regiment Charity'.

So please dig deep, donate and help us to celebrate a true hero in raising money to help other wounded heroes and support those families, like Lloydy's, whose loved ones will sadly not return from duty.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my Justgiving Page and helping to keep my friend's memory alive.