A Huddersfield man is quite literally going the distance for charity after embarking on a challenge of more than 200 miles.

Fighting fit Jack Edwards has committed to undertaking nine gruelling events for the town’s Welcome Centre in a bid to highlight the
crucial support it provides to those in need and the ‘abhorrent’ inequality that exists in the UK.

Jack, of Halifax Old Road in Birkby, will swim, cycle, run and lift mammoth weights as part of his marathon calendar of tough sporting events, which will culminate in the Wasdale Iron Man in September, one of the toughest triathlon events in the world.

The 34-year-old engineer has already taken on 40 miles of the Calderdale Way, staged a charity bike ride to Littleborough and back and completed an exhausting 5km run for the Huddersfield Pendragon’s Zombie Race wearing six stones (38kg) of armour, which he said was ‘incredibly hard going.’

Last weekend he completed the Huddersfield Marathon and is psyching himself up to take on a strongman circuit near Wakefield, in which he will try to heave large and heavy items.

He will also walk the length of Hadrian’s Wall, complete a static cycle ride and take on a triathlon in Hawes in the summer.

Jack said: “I have done a couple of organised events before but nothing like this.

“It’s an issue that I feel passionately about and decided that I wanted to do something to highlight how much of an issue dependency on emergency parcels has become.

“When you look at the amount of working families who are now struggling to make ends meet and are being forced to turn to foodbanks and for other support, it’s astonishing.

“It’s absolutely abhorrent that we have a society that doesn’t pay a fair wage.”

He has been supported by his friends, who have joined him on some of his walks.

He said: “My dad and step-dad have even kindly agreed to give a week of their pension money to the charity.

“I’ve had to really up my training and now spend every moment I can running and working out so that I am in the best possible shape for September.

“I’ve managed all the events so far but next year my aim is to find something that halts me in my tracks.”

As part of his fundraising mission he will also get a book signed by Brian Blessed, which he hopes to auction off to the highest donor in May.

To find out more go to www.facebook.com/Jackironchallenge and to donate, visit: https://www.mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/ jackironchallenge

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