'I'm walking 500 miles to help military veterans'

An RAF serviceman is preparing to walk 500 miles (800km) and scale three mountains in aid of a military veterans' charity.

Howard Kniveton, 23, from Rotherham, will undertake the National Three Peaks Challenge to raise funds for the Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen's Families Association (SSAFA).

His route will include Ben Nevis in the Grampian Mountains, Scafell Pike in the Lake District and Yr Wyddfa (Mount Snowdon) in Wales.

He will walk rather than drive between the three summits and said: "I'll be wild camping each night, living out of my pack, and surviving on ration packs, with the goal of completing the trek in just 20 days."

Kniveton said he had trained for six months ahead of the challenge which he described as "wild camping in probably the hardest time of the year to do it".

He will cover an average of 25 miles (40km) per day over difficult terrain, with wind speeds likely to reach 60mph.

His day job is with 34 Squadron RAF Regiment, based at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire.

Kniveton said, "You've got to think of the homeless veterans out there, freezing, going through their own challenges all by themselves."

He said he wanted his venture to raise awareness of the plight some former service personnel were in - including an Army veteran helped by SSAFA who had been living in a tent during winter.

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