Former soldier and amputee James Cairns is gearing up for his next challenge – a ‘biathlon’ involving running and cycling to raise money for fellow ex-servicemen.
The 27-year-old from Honley recently joined Huddersfield charity XService Support as a volunteer.
And in two months’ time he hopes to raise £5,000 by running and cycling around Greenhead Park in a ‘biathlon’ – a mini triathlon but without the swimming.
James had his right leg amputated below the knee in 2013, two years after he was shot by a Taliban sniper during active service with the Yorkshire Regiment in Afghanistan.
He has since worked hard to rebuild his strength and in 2014 was fitted with a prosthetic leg. Now, with the assistance of personal trainer Sean Reynolds, he has set his sights on completing 20 laps around the park – 10 on foot and 10 by bike.
He also hopes the event – dubbed ‘a remembrance fundraiser’ will serve as a tribute to fallen comrades from Huddersfield, with a focus on Anthony Frampton, Thomas Wroe, Jake Hartley and Christopher Kershaw.
“I am volunteering two days a week at XService,” said James. “As well as helping veterans we are trying to broaden it out and open people’s eyes to what it offers, and to work with other charities such as Help for Heroes.
“I’ll be running with Sean, who has done a lot of charity events for Kirkwood Hospice , and also with Rio Paralympians Michael Hall and Joe Townsend.”
XService Support was set up by Dee Herbert earlier this year and is based in the Brian Jackson Centre . It aims to provide new skills and experiences for anyone making the transition from military to civilian life while improving confidence, self-awareness and motivation.
Anyone wishing to support James should check out his Just Giving page https:// www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/james cairns or contact him on jamescairns@hotmail.com
