Veteran set to cycle from the Ukrainian border to South Tyneside before taking on the Great North Run

Stephen Thompson, 52, will set off on the mammoth challenge on August 26 and is aiming to arrive in South Tyneside on September 7.

He will then take on the Great North Run three days later (Sunday, September 10) as he looks to raise money for Walking with the Wounded, the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and Talking 2 Minds.

Stephen, who now lives in Germany but is originally from South Shields, served nine years in the Royal Engineers when he joined at the age of 16 after leaving Redwell Comprehensive School in 1987.

After leaving the armed forces in 1995, Stephen got married and decided to stay in Germany and in 2007, was diagnosed with a tumour in his foot.

He battled back to full health but suffered from depression along the way and is now wanting to use his experience as a driving force to help others.

Stephen said: “I was at the point of no return but managed to get back to normality; however, there is veterans out there who are in a much worse situation than me.

“Some of them are just young kids who have been through wars and have seen things that people shouldn’t see.

“They need all possible help that they can get and if I can give just a small contribution to help these people then I’ll be happy.

“Then the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust is a small but brilliant charity which helps children and young people with mental awareness.

“I’m training around three or four times a week in between working 12 hour shifts.

“At the age of 52 and knocking on 15-and-a-half stone in weight, it is going to be more mind over matter than being tough physically.”

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The last leg of Stephen’s bike ride is planned to take place on Thursday, September 7, where he will start at the Stadium of Light, in Sunderland, and finish at the 1st Cloud Arena, the home of South Shields Football Club.

Carl Mowatt, Operations Director at South Shields FC, has supported Stephen so far on his journey and is set to join him for the last 10km.

Stephen is also hoping to have some well-known North East faces join him for the last leg of the gruelling challenge.

He added: “My dream finish would be to have a North East celebrity ride the last 10km with Carl and myself.

“Carl has supported me since day one and has personally already raised £140 towards the fundraiser and he has told me that he has a surprise waiting for me on the evening on September 7.”

Ahead of setting off next month, Stephen is looking for a North East business to act as a main sponsor for the challenge and is urging local schools and community groups to get active in a sponsored walk or run, with proceeds going to his three nominated charities.

You can find out more about the challenge and donate to Stephen’s fundraiser by visiting: https://www.justgiving.com/page/steve-thompson-1690541017160.