Man embarks on charity walk for Normandy veterans

A chance meeting over breakfast has inspired a man to walk from Bristol to northern France as part of the D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations.

Dave Westall, a 53-year-old Bristolian civilian worker for the Ministry of Defence, is making his way to the south coast before catching an overnight ferry to Caen.

The money raised from his trek will go to The Spirit of Normandy Trust (SoNT), which supports veterans travelling to France to pay their respects to fallen soldiers.

Mr Westall will be staying at various barracks along the way before reaching the British Normandy Memorial on 6 June.

Mr Westall was inspired to raise money for SoNT after meeting veteran Stan Ford, who served in Normandy during World War Two, at a local veterans' breakfast club.

"What really caught my attention most about the charity was the fact that The Spirit of Normandy Trust tailors the return trips to Normandy around the veteran," said Mr Westall.

"So for Stan, for instance, they're taking him back to where his ship was sunk by the Germans.

"He managed to find out where the ship is through naval and coastguard records and they're taking this 99-year-old out to sea so he could lay a wreath for his 31 fallen shipmates.

"To me, that just resonated quite a lot. I thought, you know what, this is a really, really worthwhile charity."

Mr Westall has currently raised more than £5,000 on his JustGiving page, significantly exceeding his original £3,000 target.

For many veterans, this year's D-Day commemoration will be their last opportunity to visit the Normandy Memorial.

With the youngest aged 98 and the oldest reaching 103, facilitating the trip incurs extra costs for the SoNT, including nursing care, doctors and specialist hotel rooms for their stay.

However, Mr Westall said it was important for people to remember the sacrifices made by veterans and to see them as the young men sent off to war that they were, rather than label them as "the older generation".

Speaking to the BBC about his walk, Mr Westall said: "It is 243 miles or thereabouts and the reason why I'm doing it is because I'm also a member of an armed forces and veterans' breakfast group."

Mr Westall is planning to set off on his walk from the Army reserve centre in Horfield in Bristol and he will be heading through Keynsham, Warminster, Salisbury and Southampton before taking the ferry.

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