A former army sergeant from Melksham is preparing to cycle across France to raise money for the Wiltshire Times’ Help for Heroes appeal.

John Marable, 55, of Thames Crescent, will join 300 others in the 375-mile Big Battlefield Bike Ride on Monday, as cyclists make their way from HMS Victory in Portsmouth to Le Havre via ferry, and then ride to Dunkirk on the 70th anniversary of the famous military evacuation.

Mr Marable, who served in the Royal Artillery for 22 years, has never cycled regularly before he started training for the week-long challenge in January.

He said: “I had to go out and buy a bike. I was on a reserve list for the ride, and someone had to drop out. Training has been going all right. I’ve been doing hours in the saddle, and if I’m not on the bike, I’m in the gym.”

Mr Marable said he was motivated to take part because he believes in the work that Help for Heroes does.

He said: “When I served and came back from Northern Ireland there was nothing like it.

“My son Andrew was in the forces as well, he went to Bosnia and Croatia and there wasn’t a lot put in place. Afghanistan has brought it to fruition.”

Mr Marable, a self-employed health and safety trainer, said he hasn’t set a specific fundraising target, but says that every little helps.

He has already raised almost £1,000 from sponsorship and sales of Help for Heroes merchandise, and said: “I’d be happy with 10p or whatever, it’s whatever we can do. The money I raise will go towards Help for Heroes in Wiltshire. The county has been hit hard, and there’s a lot of fundraising going on, so you can only get so much water out of the well.”

To sponsor Mr Marable, visit www.bmycharity.

com/johnmarable.