Swindon couple take on two obstacle challenges and raise over £2,000 for a military charity
30 September 2013
Driven by the sudden death of their friend earlier this year, two sky-diving enthusiasts have raised over £2,000 for historical military charity Blesma, The Limbless Veterans.
Partners Ann Lewis, 43, and Tom Blakey, 41, from Swindon, completed two obstacles courses and a sky-diving demonstration and raised £2,060 for the east London based charity. They took on the challenges for their friends at Blesma including Member Lance Corporal Paul Burns, who sadly passed away in June.
Ann and Tom first completed the Nuts Challenge in August, a 10-mile course with over 60 obstacles. Tom, a Sergeant from the Parachute Regiment, sky-dived into the arena before the event with some of his regiment.
Three weeks later on 21 September, they completed Tough Mudder, a 12-mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces, in Mario brother costumes.
Ann said: “We wanted to raise money for the Trans4mers and in memory of our friend Paul Burns. We were absolutely delighted when we realised we had exceeded our initial target of £1,500. I had to persuade Tom to wear the Mario costume but the extra attention we received for Blesma made it well worth the effort! Having worked with Blesma for a while now, it felt amazing to be able to give something back. We are definitely doing this again for this fantastic organisation again next year!”
Blesma, The Limbless Veterans is the national charity for all limbless service men and women, their widows and dependants. It was formed in the years following the First World War and became a national charity in 1932.
To support Ann and Tom, visit their fundraising page at: http://www.justgiving.com/tomandannharrymudders
-ENDS-
Notes to Editor
Hi-res images can be downloaded from the link below
Ann and Tom after Tough Mudder:
About Blesma, The Limbless Veterans
Blesma, The Limbless Veterans is the national charity for all limbless serving and ex service men and women, their widows and dependants. It is a membership organisation which helps wounded service men and women rebuild their lives by providing rehabilitation activities and welfare support. Their membership includes those who have lost the use of a limb, an eye or the sight of an eye.
Blesma was formed in the years following the First World War and became a national charity in 1932. Blesma today has over 4000 Members and widows. The membership consists of men and women who have served during the Second World War and the many subsequent conflicts and peacekeeping operations since, including the Falklands, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.
About Blesma Trans4mers
Trans4mers aims to make learning to skydive as accessible and affordable as possible to wounded current and ex-service men and women. We use a combination of wind tunnel training and in-air training to teach them to skydive solo, from beginners to competition standard. Trans4mers also do formation diving in teams.
Follow us on Twitter @BLESMA
For further information on Blesma, The Limbless Veterans, contact
Bryony Stevens, Media and Communications Assistant
T: 020 8590 1124
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