Formby men raise over £1,300 to build retreat to help ex-soldiers adapt to life after the army

Steve Hunter from Hightown organised a 600 mile cycle to build a wooden retreat for ex-servicemen and women

Steve, Tony and Ben in white, alongside Formby Tesco Manager Patricia Dean, who completed a few miles to give them a rest.

Three soldiers have raised over £1,300 to help build a retreat in Formby for ex-servicemen who struggle to adapt to life back in the UK when they return from war.

Steve Hunter, Ben Hooton and Tony Davis-Muster cycled the equivalent of Lands End to John O'Groats on exercise bikes at Formby Tesco to raise money to buy wooden pods for ex-soldiers to relax in when they finish their service.

Roy Bevan, who helped organise the event, said: "They raised an amazing £1,368. The customers were great and the staff very supportive.

"The coffee shop staff even put their tips for the day to the collection.

Steve Hunter, Ben Hooton and Tony Davis-Muster

"They started at 6am and the objective was to finish the 600 miles before midnight, but a big cheer went up when the mileage was achieved at 8.30pm."

To help them achieve their target, Tesco staff and other supporters jumped on the bikes to give the trio a rest.

The money will go towards buying three wooden pods, to accompany one that is already in place in Altcar. Steve said: “In my opinion, I don't think enough is done for our lads when they get back from war.

“What they have seen over there and what they have gone through – there's not enough people to help them.

“So we put an area aside at the Altcar Rifle Range that's for injured and sick servicemen coming back home and are hoping to buy wooden pods, that they can relax in and just enjoy the quiet, relax with a book, go fishing or go for a walk.”

Steve is hoping the retreat will be ready to open by next summer.

Local businesses, such as Total Timber, have offered services and materials to the cause free of charge to try and get the pods built as soon as possible.

Story and photos source: Southport Visiter by FRANCESCA FITZSIMMONS