A PROUD Cornishman and serving member of The Coldstream Guard will attempt to break a World Record this June to fund a new venture that will provide support to ex-Guardsmen and their families.

Richard Perkins, from Bude, will run the 874 mile from Lands’ End to John o’ Groats on June 18. His aim is to break the current World Record which stands at nine days and two hours. The money raised through his JustGiving page will help set up his own foundation ‘Veterans Coastal Retreats’, which is a working title. Through the foundation he will aim to provide holiday accommodation for ex-Guardsmen from The Household Division who are struggling with PTSD, mental health issues or life altering injuries sustained while on tour.

He said: “I’m a proud Cornishman, raised in Bude, and know how lucky I am to call this place home. “The record attempt has been approved by Guinness World Records, the aim is to not only go for the record but also raise funds in order to set up a charity, Veterans Coastal Retreats, which will help struggling veterans transition into civilian life.

“The idea of the charity is to offer a holiday home to ex-Guardsmen from The Household Division who need some RnR or want somewhere to take their families on holiday but may not be able to afford it. It may not seem like much but I think everyone deserves a holiday and the chance to get away and have some headspace.”

Richard himself joined the Army at 18 and has served for 15 years with The Coldstream Guard. Many of his friends and fellow servicemen have experienced trauma while on active duty, with many sadly passing away.

“I joined the Army at 18 and continue to serve with The Coldstream Guards, I have done three tours to Afghanistan and have witnessed first-hand the effects of active duty on my colleagues mental and physical health,” he said. “A lot have left the various Guards regiments since then and have sadly gone on to develop PTSD and struggle to provide for their families due to mental health issues or sustaining life changing physical injuries whilst on tour.” Speaking candidly, he added: “There have been a number of deaths in the last three weeks alone, with someone being accidentally shot on a shooting range in Scotland and another committing suicide.”

Richard said he has a long way to go before the foundation is up and running so he will for now be focussing mainly on preparing for the challenge: “I’m focussing mainly on the running at the moment, and will worry about the fundraising later as it’s going to be [very] hard and we will need to raise a lot to get things started.

“I’m trying to run about 110 miles per week and have been doing things like yoga and bike riding to up my fitness. But I was injured back in November after doing a 100 miler so I’ll have to see what I can do.”

He is clearly a glutton for punishment though as he plans to take on another arduous challenge later this year. He said: “Some mates of mine asked if I was going to come out to Jordan in October for the Coldstream Ultra Marathon, which is over five days and will see us running 250k in the dessert.

“I don’t know why I agreed as I’ll be broken by the Lands’ End challenge but I am looking forward to it.”

The Mental Health Foundation estimates there are five-million veterans in the UK with 20,000 personnel leaving each year. Richard said he hopes his record attempt will raise £10,000, which will go some way to providing a dedicated holiday space for Guardsmen in need.

To find out more about Richard’s challenge follow him on Facebook @stravalejogchallenge or to help him reach his £10,000 target visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/r-perkins