Gavin Sandford has set himself a target of 45 marathons in 45 days as he travels from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

Last week, the 41-year-old passed through Loch Lomond on day 10 of the challenge.

And it’s not just the distance factor that is awe-inspiring but the fact “Iron Man” Gavin will be pushing a wheelchair with a barrel full of his supplies the entire route.

Gavin signed up for the British Army when he was 16 and later served in Northern Ireland but left around 20 years ago.

He now works as an anaesthetic practitioner, and has worked in various hospitals.

It’s his experience in both fields that has led Gavin to embark on the challenge which will raise funds for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Birmingham, which treats injured veterans and the Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

He told the Advertiser: “I guess you could say I’ve seen a lot of things which have affected me, I want to do something a bit special. This money will help provide suppport to so many people and crucially will help get patients back to their families more quickly. It’s not just about the patients, it’s about their families as well.” Speaking ahead of his arrival in the area, Gavin told us there had already been a few testing moments. “It’s a little more than your average John O’Groats to Land’s End challenge,” He said. “It’s been really tough so far, I didn’t really feel it the first couple of days but I got caught in the weather when I was in the mountains — I had a bit of a sketchy moment when I was going down the other side and came down too quickly pushing the wheelchair.

“The last five or six days have been by far and away the worst because of this weather, it’s been difficult to endure.” And despite being physically fit, Gavin says the training regime prior to starting proved to be a massive hurdle to overcome. He added: “I was getting up at 4am to do a couple of hours before going to work and then trying to squeeze in an hour afterwards, so I was doing 20-hour days.

“I’ve still got that soldier’s mentality which has helped me keep going but I know it’s going to be difficult.

“Everyone who I’ve bumped into so far have been great, places I’ve stayed have knocked the prices down once they’ve realised what I’m doing.” You can donate to Gavin’s cause by following the donation link at www.icanandiwill.co.uk or texting iciw99 and the amount you’d like to donate to 70070.