An Army veteran from Melksham is in training to take part in a 350-mile bike ride to Paris for Help For Heroes.

John Marable, 56, will take part in the Big Battlefield Bike Ride in June from the UK headquarters of Operation Overlord at Southwick Park in Portsmouth to Normandy on D-Day and on to Paris via the battlefields of the Second World War. The five-day journey will end with the cyclists riding down the Champs Elysees to the finish at the Eiffel Tower.

Mr Marable, a former sergeant who served in the Royal Artillery for 22 years, took part in a similar event last year to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Dunkirk evacuations.

He said: “I suppose I’ve got a taste for it. I can’t run because of a knee problem, but riding a bike is OK. Last year it was very emotional, it was a very poignant time.

“I’ve kept in training and I don’t think 80 miles a day would be a problem. I’ve stayed in touch with about 50 people since the ride last year and a few of us are going to ride together.”

Mr Marable hasn’t set a specific fundraising target, but hopes to raise as much as he can for the charity that helps wounded servicemen and women.

Sponsor Mr Marable by leaving donations at the Conservative Club or Liberal Club, both in Bank Street, Melksham, or by visiting www.bmycharity.com/johnmarable.