VETERAN Yorkshire fundraiser Jeffrey Long MBE is pulling on his walking boots once again to support a Bradford hospital’s appeal which is close to his heart.
The 92-year-old ex-paratrooper is taking on another epic walking challenge; this time aiming to complete 101 laps of Bradford’s Centenary Square to raise funds for Bradford Hospitals Charity ‘Big Neonatal Appeal.’
The Charity is part of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is working alongside one of the Trust’s hospitals, Bradford Royal Infirmary to build a ‘home-from-home’ for families with babies born too early or sick and who are cared for at the hospital’s neonatal unit.
The Neonatal Unit cares for more than 500 premature and poorly babies each year. Around one baby in 10 requires admission to the unit, which cares for babies from all over the Yorkshire and Humber region.
Great-grandfather, Jeffrey from Bingley has single-handedly raised more than £300,000 for various charities over the past 15 years.
He said:
I do have a bad back and an ankle injury from my days as a para, and I cannot walk my usual 15 miles a day average now, pushing myself to average four miles due to severe pain from service injuries.
I currently walk with a stick to support me but nothing will stop me from this latest challenge; I want to support the Big Neonatal Appeal as four of my grandchildren were cared for by Bradford Royal Infirmary’s Neonatal Unit. This is a cause close to my heart.
101 laps of the square is equivalent to around 25 miles.
I thought of doing 100 laps because that’s a nice round number but then I always like to go the extra mile so I added one more – and this walk, unlike many others I’ve done in the past, will be all on the level! he added.
Jeffrey served two years on active service from 1952-1957. Despite having daily chemotherapy and suffering back pain as a result of a parachute malfunction in 1954 when he was serving with the 12th (Yorkshire) Parachute Battalion, he is aiming to complete the 101 laps in less than a month.
He began fundraising in 2007 when he marched 650 miles from London to Lausanne in Switzerland, carrying a 30kg backpack. Since then, he has completed dozens of charity hikes, including 100 miles along the south coast.
He has a long-standing relationship with the Lord Mayor of Bradford and his tradition when starting a new challenge is for the Lord Mayor to meet him and set him off on his walk.
The present Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Gerry Barker will now meet Jeffrey at the neonatal unit on Tuesday, December 5, at 1.30pm to wish him well before he sets off to Centenary Square to begin his first laps, hopefully around 2.20pm.
The Charity’s Head of Fundraising, Lisa Williams said:
At 92 years-old ex-paratrooper Jeffrey Long MBE is an inspiration to us all.
We are so grateful to Jeffrey for his support of our Big Neonatal Appeal at Bradford Hospitals Charity and wish him the best of luck in his 101-lap challenge. Join us in cheering on Jeffrey as he embarks on this fundraising mission, proving that age is no barrier to making a lasting impact.
Jeffrey can be sponsored via his Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jeffrey-walking101
Read more about Bradford Hospitals Charity Big Neonatal Appeal here: https://bradfordhospitalscharity.org/neonatal-appeal