TO mark his 37th birthday, a Lapford man completed a 44-miles march from Ivybridge, across Dartmoor and back to his house near Lapford in aid of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

Lots of local friends and family supported him to raise more than £625 as he carried more than 50lb in weight the whole distance completing it in just over 11 hours.

Tommy Wheldal explained: “I am an ex soldier myself so the charity is very close to my heart.

“The SSAFA has been providing lifelong support to our Forces and their families since 1885.”

Tommy completed his very own version of the Military’s "Long Drag" or "Endurance" March and said it was “Eleven very hard hours non-stop”.

If you would like to contribute to Tommy’s appeal for the charity, you can still do so via his page at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tomwheldal .