Veteran in Recent VE Day Coverage Takes on Charity Challenge

Normandy Veteran, Len Gibbon, 96, who was featured heavily in the recent coverage of VE Day, is taking on a cycling challenge in aid of charity, Care for Veterans. 
 
Len has decided to recreate his historic journey across the Channel by cycling the distance from Portsmouth to Gold Beach on a static bike. He aims to complete the 104-mile distance by 6^th June, which will mark the 76^th anniversary of the first Normandy landings.
 
Fellow Normandy veteran, Peter Hawkins, 95, is supporting Len with his challenge by cycling his own 104-miles. Peter also landed at Gold Beach a few days after the invasion started. The men are cycling on separate occasions, of course, to ensure they keep their distance.
 
Both men are residents at Care for Veterans, which is based in Worthing, West Sussex. The charity has provided care and rehabilitation to physically disabled ex-Service personnel and their families since 1919. It receives no regular government funding and must raise £1.9 million this year to provide its award-winning care to the veterans who live there. 

Len came to live at Care for Veterans in December 2019. He realised he needed extra help after having several falls at home and his walking had become unbalanced. He loves dancing and so the physiotherapists at the charity incorporate this into his sessions; he loves to do the ‘Cha Cha’.

He said, “Although I’m 96, I still like to be doing something. I like to have a dance at the concerts they have sometimes. I have physio as well, which I really enjoy. I'm doing this challenge to help raise money for Care for Veterans because it's a wonderful place. It's going really well so far, hopefully I'll finish on time!"
  
Len’s challenge comes at a time when the charity needs it most. Due to the current situation, many of the events and initiatives that Care for Veterans had organised to raise vital funds have been postponed or cancelled, so he hopes to raise as much as he can to support the charity that cares for him. 
 
You can show Len your support by donating via his JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/campaign/lens-d-day-challenge