VETERAN walker Jeffrey Long is putting his best foot forward to complete a marathon trek with a difference.

In his 88th year, the former paratrooper is just about to clock up 88 miles for charity.

“I only have four miles to do and I might do that just going to the shops,” said Jeffrey, who has amassed his total by walking 10 to 14 miles at a time around Bradford.

From his home in Bingley, Jeffrey has tackled routes such as the outer ring road, along the canal and out to Skipton.

“It’s been really interesting doing it this way,” he said.

Jeffrey began his 88-mile challenge on October 19, hoping to raise at least £1,000 for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, helping causes such as bereaved children and the Pot of Gold scheme.

And when this is done he has other goals in mind. One is to walk blindfold around a football pitch - such as Bradford City - to raise money for blind ex-service veterans and guide dogs. “But this is not an easy one to organise and it’s still on the drawing board at the moment,” said Jeffrey, who spent five years in the Parachute regiment.

Otherwise, he hopes to cycle from London to Paris - even though ‘he doesn’t cycle’ “Why not?” says Jeffrey, whose charity walking began with London to Lausanne in Switzerland in just 39 days when he was 75.

He had hoped to organise and take part in a 650-mile cycle ride between the two cities but had to pull out after hurting his leg.

“Eventually, I decided to walk the distance even though I wasn’t a walker,” said Jeffrey. “And that was the start of my charity walking and I have done all sorts since.” His successes include the Three Peaks and Leeds to Liverpool canal.

And all this has been achieved despite a couple of health conditions such as a bad back.

It has also taken four pairs of boots since 2007. “But believe it or not, I am still wearing the same pair of socks,” said Jeffrey. “They don’t even have a hole in them!”

Jeffrey’s fundraising exploits have hit the headlines several times before.

Last year, he successfully completed a 100-mile walk along the south coast to raise money for the Royal British Legion.

Sadly, when he crossed the finish line, he had raised just £25, but a quick appeal on Twitter saw support pour in from all over the world swelling the pot to £27,000 in just 24 hours.

Celebrities including, comedians Iain Lee, Al Murray and Jason Manford, newsreader Alastair Stewart and author Neil Gaiman all tweeted their support for Jeffrey, at which point he received donations from as far afield as Toronto, Paris and New York.

That was the second time that Jeffrey has ‘gone viral’ – the previous year r a Twitter intervention by Jason Manford helped Jeffrey to raise £120,000 for the armed forces community.

Mr Manford later met Jeffrey in his home town of Bingley to congratulate him on his 86-mile trek along the Thames, with the comedian later taking to Facebook to say he had met “the man, the myth, the legend. Jeffrey!”

Jeffrey’s fundraising page can be found at justgiving.com/jeffreylongcbuk