Pimlico man walks in father's footsteps

The 60-year-old will also be remembering Private Joe Whittaker, a young soldier killed during an operation in Afghanistan in June last year, while serving with the 2nd Battalion, parachute regiment.

Mr Fearn aims to raise £5,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund, a charity which provides support for soldiers, former servicemen and their families.

"I've always been a keen student of military history, which was fuelled by my father's service in Europe for the Grenadier Guards during the Second World War," said Mr Fearn.

"In memory of my father and Private Joe Whittaker, I thought it would be a nice gesture to dedicate my walking campaign to them and raise money for the Army Benevolent Fund."

The fundraising efforts kicked off on August 1 with a six-mile walk from Clapham Junction to the Tower of London, and will finish with the trek in Arnhem alongside 33,000 other participants in September.

During his training for the challenge, Mr Fearn also hopes to become fitter.

After his parents died in 2000, his weight soared to 25 stone as he stopped cooking proper meals and began tucking into quick meals such as bacon sandwiches.

He aims to lose 10 stone by the end of the year.

"So far I've shed five stone as I've trained for this challenge," he said.

"I still allow myself the odd bacon sandwich or bowl of ice cream but I save those for treats."

He added that he owed much of his success to the Bessborough Street Drop-In Clinic, in Pimlico, a free service run by NHS Westminster to help people shed pounds.

To sponsor Mr Fearn or for more information, see www.armybenfund.org, www.justgiving.com/airbornetrekforjoe, or www.justgiving.com/david-fearn