VETERAN fundraiser Jeffrey Long is to undertake another series of walks, this time to salute the efforts of those working in care homes.

Mr Long MBE, from Bingley, will today set off on his latest fundraising challenge - walking to a different care home every day as part of an ambitious ten-day challenge named “Jeffrey’s Walk for Carers”.

He has raised over £300,000 for charity over his fundraising career, most recently undertaking daily walks under lockdown as part of a 2.6 Challenge to collecting money for ex-members of his former regiment, the Paras.

For his new project, Mr Long will set off from his Bingley home each morning and trek to surrounding care homes, while observing social distancing guidelines, with some walks set to be over 10-mile round trips.

The 88-year-old will donate all proceeds from his walk to The Care Workers’ Charity, a charity who provide current and former care workers with crisis grants.

Although Mr Long has organised to walk for ten consecutive days, he says that he may continue the challenge for “as long as possible”. He has set himself this remarkable challenge despite sustaining a back injury in 1954 while serving in the Parachute Regiment.

Mr Long started his charitable challenges when he was 75 and supported the Royal British Legion by walking from London to Lausanne in Switzerland while carrying a 30kg backpack. He was then awarded an MBE in 2010 for his voluntary services and received praise from former Prime Minister Theresa May for his “long-serving support of Armed Forces charities”.

He has since raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity in many other fundraising walks and has even attracted the backing of numerous celebrities, including Al Murray, Jason Manford and Iain Lee.

Speaking about the challenge, he said: “Care workers are hugely undervalued and deserve more recognition for their heroic work. Every day, care workers make a huge difference to the lives of thousands of people across the country, providing them with the dignity and support they need to live happy and contented lives.

“The Care Workers Charity are a fantastic organisation who support these heroes and I am honoured to start this challenge to raise money to support them.

“This challenge is set to be one of the most ambitious I have ever embarked on and I look forward to visiting the wonderful care homes in and around Bingley.”

Emily Barnett, Partnership and Events Manager at The Care Workers’ Charity said: “We are pleased that Jeffrey wants to fundraise for The Care Workers’ Charity. As a seasoned walker it is wonderful that Jeffrey is combining his love for fundraising and walking to raise money to support the almost 2 million care workers in the UK.

“Jeffrey is a force to be reckoned with and we wish him all the best for his walk for carers.”

To donate to "Jeffrey’s Walk for Carers", visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jeffrey-long-walk.