A former Paratrooper from Buckinghamshire is walking the coast of Britain to raise funds for an army-focused charity.
Russell Chittenden, who hails from Aylesbury, is doing his bit to help the Soldiers', Sailors' & Airmen's Families Association after admitting he had ‘struggled to find a place in the world’, since leaving the army.
Several broken relationships followed along with him losing his driving licence after his drinking ‘spiralled out of control’, but now the current construction worker is hoping to do good with his monumental trek.
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He began his walk from Land’s End in Cornwall
Russ said: “Nothing was going right.
“I was really missing my workmates from the Army.
“You build up such a bond and then when you leave there’s nothing like that.
“I’d got into the habit of drinking quite a lot with my mates when we were serving, and when I left, I didn’t have that group of people around me, so I carried on alone, which was a big mistake.”
His lightbulb moment came when he was discussing his issues with his brother and joked that he just needed to ‘take a long walk and figure stuff out.’
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Coincidentally, he spotted another former paratrooper on Instagram called Chris Lewis, who too turned his life around by walking the coastline of the UK.
Russ continued: “I never knew our country could be so kind!
“Businesses have helped me out with ferry tickets, shops have given me free food, and one lovely lady even brought me a hot chicken dinner when it was raining.
“People don’t realise what they are doing when they buy you a hot drink – they just think it’s a little thing, but it’s not.
“It’s huge.
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“Such a moral boost.
“I’m so grateful.”
He aims to raise £50,000 for the cause and as it stands, he has so far secured £6,699.
To donate, go to www.justgiving.com/page/russell.
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