A former Royal Green Jacket from Preston has climbed Snowdon to raise funds for charity.

Vince Stopp served in the military for 24 years and took on the challenge on Monday 20 September, for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. He undertook the climb despite having two knee replacements on the same leg.

Vince has beaten his target of £500 and said it was a struggle recovering from his operations, but the goal of climbing Snowdon and wanting to help SSAFA was his inspiration.

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He said: “It’s been a year since my second operation, and I went from crutches to walking poles to setting off for the summit of Snowdon at 7am last Monday with my daughter Michelle on our Snowdon adventure for SSAFA.

“The nine miles to the summit and back is something I couldn’t have imagined being able to do a year ago, but I did it – even though it took me 10 hours.

“Everyone has been really friendly and supportive on the mountain, and we’ve even had a few donations from some generous walkers who spotted the SSAFA shirts.

“Going downhill was murder on the knees, but when I got back to the bottom, I thought job done, and I was still smiling. I’m really chuffed and really pleased to have played my part in helping SSAFA help our servicemen and women and their families.”

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To donate, visit – justgiving.com/fundraising/michelle-stopp

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