Milnrow veteran to complete 1,000 mile walking challenge for Veterans in Communities

Former soldier Gordon Aaron set himself a huge 1,000-mile walking challenge for 2021, but he is set to finish it in August.

Pensioner Gordon, 85, from Milnrow, ran for the Army while completing his National Service with the Border Regiment in his 20s.

In 2019 he completed the Manchester half-marathon for the second time and was awarded the Changing Lifestyles trophy at Rochdale Borough Sports and Culture Awards and was a finalist in the Greater Manchester Sports Awards.

The member of Haslingden-based Veterans In Communities (VIC) lost his wife Doreen, who had dementia, in October, but he said the veteran family has helped him to cope.

Gordon, who is a regular at The Sandbag Café in Heywood, which VIC has now been able to reopen, said: “The veterans have been brilliant with me and that is why I want my walking to raise money for them.

“I am very thankful for what they have done, they even brought me a full Christmas dinner on Christmas Day because my son was away and that was fantastic.”

Gordon, who also walks with Milnrow Walking Group and Your Trust (formerly Link4Life), has already completed 840 of the miles, including a little walk along the Rochdale Canal which ended up a 19.7 mile round trip.

VIC Chief Executive Amanda Walton said: “Gordon has done amazingly well and already he is over three quarters of the way through his challenge.

“He is raising money for Veterans In Communities through the walks and on Thursday 1 July he is asking people to join him. I will be going on the whole route while others will join him on stages.

“He is inspirational.”

The walk in July will be from Hollingworth Lake and probably around five miles.

Gordon said: “I had prostate cancer and had radiotherapy which killed off the cancer, but it also damaged my immune system and left me without white blood cells.

“My doctor said I would not get it back, but I altered my diet and began eating healthier and keeping fit and I decided to try to prove him wrong.”

It worked and he is now only on six-month checks.

Gordon added: “I will be 86 in August, and I want to complete the 1,000-mile challenge by that date and then I want to get myself ready to complete the next Manchester half-marathon, also to raise money for VIC.”

Anyone who wants to donate to Gordon’s fundraiser is asked to contact VIC on 01706 833180.