A Letchworth man is taking on one of the UK’s toughest endurance challenges for the second year running to raise money for a charity dedicated to helping vulnerable older people.

Phil Martin, who lives on The Broadway, is gearing up for the London to Brighton Challenge tomorrow, where he will be walking to drum up funds for Age UK Hertfordshire through the non-stop cross country event.

The charity helps more than 4,000 older people a week get the most out of later life, many of who are some of the district’s most vulnerable people.

The 35-year-old, who works for the charity, said: “I will be setting off from Richmond Park tomorow morning and hopefully arriving at Brighton Racecourse at some point on Sunday morning.

“I have been training for the challenge for the past three months by walking across the Hertfordshire countryside every weekend.

“I have been trying to remain blister free and training my legs to keep going up lots of hills!

“Last year’s challenge was without a doubt the hardest and most physically and emotionally draining experience of my life.

“I am not generally into that much physical exertion and my weekly fitness regime usually involves staggering around a five-a-side football pitch for an hour.

“I completed it in just under 30 hours, hobbling to the finish line nursing a lot of injuries, but aim to finish in a faster time this year.

“I am fundraising for Age UK because I passionately believe in the great work they do for thousands of older people across Hertfordshire.

“Older people are so often overlooked and when you think that all of us will either have someone older in our family or friends network, it’s easy to forget that there are so many older people who don’t have that.”

To donate to Phil’s cause visit www.justgiving.com/philmartin35.