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Injured veteran does 150-mile weighted charity walk

Philip Burlingham Philip wearing his old army gear and a blu t-shirt and dark cap walking on a road with his dogsPhilip Burlingham
Mr Burlingham is in recovery from a serious spinal injury which has left him unable to run

A determined veteran in recovery from a spinal injury has completed a 150-mile (241km) weighted walk for charity.

Philip Burlingham from Gloucestershire joined the Royal Air Force in 1986 and retired in 2019 and then worked as a reservist for the RAF Air Cadets.

But in 2023, he had a serious fall that limited his movement, so in a bid to "do something good" and give himself "a goal" during rehabilitation, he decided to raise money for Help For Heroes.

The 59-year-old said it has been a "challenging" and "positive" experience which has also become "healing" for him "mentally".

Philip Burlingham Philip with his back to the camera walking through a field of grass with a walking stickPhilip Burlingham
Mr Burlingham said the challenge gave him a goal to work towards whilst in recovery

"The damage I've suffered might stop me from flying again so I needed to find something else to do," he said.

"The challenge struck a chord with me because all I can do is walk at the moment.

"As someone who's been in the military for over 40 years, you benefit from having goals and targets."

He took on the challenge in stints in areas such as Cumbria, Fairford, Cricklade and Ayr in Scotland.

Each time, he wore his old military clothes and webbing and added gravel and sand to his backpack to make it weigh between 28-30 pounds (12-13Kg).

Philip Burlingham Philip with his back the camera on a driveway wearing his old army gear and a leather brimmed hat with a help for heroes sign on his backPhilip Burlingham
Mr Burlingham worked in the RAF for many decades

Mr Burlingham initially planned to raise £150 but has since raised more than £1,000 for Help For Heroes.

He said in his last job flying a Voyager Worldwide, doing things like air-to-air refuelling and medical evacuations, "we brought back a lot of broken people".

"I had a long career in the military which left me in a very fortunate position, but there are things others have experienced that have affected them in unimaginable ways.

"Like the number of people who came back from Afghanistan who lost limbs and had severe trauma."

'Challenging and positive'

A spokesperson from the charity said the funds Mr Burlingham has raised will "help ensure his contemporaries receive the support they deserve".

"His ongoing recovery is further evidence that physical activity is as much a benefit to mental health as it is physical."

Mr Burlingham said It has been "challenging" and "positive".

"It's been healing for me mentally," he added.

The veteran plans to continue the challenge with a final walk up Pen y Fan in Wales, on 31 July.

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