WIREDGOV

The Prime Minister shows his support for 220 Grenadier Guards on their 233 mile trek to raise money for injured colleagues.

220 Grenadier Guards and their families enjoyed the support of the Prime Minister this morning (24 September 2013) as they gathered to set off on a 233 mile trek to the Belgian battlefields.

The serving and veteran guardsmen are cycling to the famous field of Waterloo to raise money for comrades wounded in recent conflicts, and for bereaved families.

The Prime Minister met and chatted to several guardsmen who are undertaking the cycling challenge, and to Kerry Ashworth, the mother of Lance Corporal James Ashworth, who was awarded the posthumous Victoria Cross (VC) for his bravery in Afghanistan earlier this year.

Veteran Grenadier Nathan Cumberland, 29, who lost both legs to an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2009, stood on the start line and waved the Camp Colour. The Prime Minister set the cyclists on their way to Belgium with a rousing “Ready, Steady, Go!”

The cyclists are on their way to Folkestone. From there they will cross the Channel and cycle to Waterloo, where they will finish at Place Albert, opposite the Chapel Royal and the Wellington Museum.

Waterloo is significant as a battle honour for the regiment. It is also where the regiment was awarded its title “Grenadier Guards” and its distinctive bearskin caps.

You can follow the progress of the Grenadier Guards’ cycle ride on Facebook and donate to the Wellington to Waterloo charity.