For the second year running, The Parachute Regiment will send a team to the US Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) Washington DC in October. They will be raising funds for ParaCharity.

 This 5-man team, led by Capt Will Lock, comes from Infantry Training Centre, Catterick. Between them they have 16 operational tours to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Macedonia and Ireland. All have served in Helmand, Afghanistan.

Team Para at the Iwo Jima monument

Capt Lock said: “We are looking forward to the MCM. Last year’s team had a great reception. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our US Allies, and will be showing them what Para fitness is all about. In traditional style we will be tabbing with boots and 35lb bergens.

We aim to raise funds for ParaCharity which supports the soldiers and families of our own Parachute Regiment. We are  grateful to the Allied Forces Foundation in the US which has worked so hard to get us over there to Washington.”

You can support the team at Justgiving

Find out about the Allied Forces Foundation

Team PARA

Capt Will Lock Joined Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2007 and Commissioned in to the Parachute Regiment in Apr 2008. Joined 3 PARA in Nov 2008. Commanded a platoon in A Coy. Deployed to Afghanistan in 2010. Returned through injury before taking over a platoon at Infantry Training Centre Catterick where currently responsible for training Parachute Regiment Recruits.

 Cpl Paul Brown Joined in 2002 and upon completion of PARA Depot  deployed to Kuwait, then into Iraq on Op Telic. 2005 deployed to South Armagh, NI then straight to Baghdad Iraq. 2006 deployed back to Iraq and 2 tours to Helmand province Afghanistan in 2007 and 2009.  2010 posted to Depot PARA for 2 years and married to Lara in August.

 Cpl Chris Bosworth Joined 1999. Operational tours of Northern Ireland (2001, 2002/2003), Macedonia, Afghanistan (2002, 2008), Iraq (2003, 2005). Worked as a recruit instructor from 2009-2011 at ITC Catterick. Suffered hearing loss while commanding a section in Sangin DC, Afghanistan. Lives in Leicester with girlfriend and two young children.  

 Cpl Ross Dewhurst . Joined the Parachute Regiment in 2004 and passed out of depot in 2005. Completed tours of Iraq (2005) Afghanistan (2006) as part of the 3PARA Patrols Platoon. Physical training Instructor at PARA Depot.

 Cpl Jason Plumb. Jason was shot while serving in Afghanistan last year; he was back on the ground six weeks later.

Alize Mounter, Miss England, skydived from 13,000 feet and reached 120 mph with the Red Devils to support the Charity.

Alize, 22, said ”I have many family members in the armed forces and feel that this charity is personal to me because we should all support and honour our men that fight for our country and risks their lives.” 

I really am daunted and scared by jumping out of a plane, but I have always wanted to face my fears and overcome them.

I am luckily under the care of the Red Devils and hopefully  together we can raise as much money as possible for this incredibly worthy cause. So please it would mean an awful lot to me to show your support for this great charity”. X Alize

She was accompanied on her skydiving adventure by Laura, Miss England 2009  and Tara, Miss UniverseGB 2010.

Watch the video of Alize. Beautiful lady, beautiful day. Good luck in Miss World, Alize

Get behind Alize by donating on her Justgiving page.

L/Cpl Robert Fisher, 3PARA, is running the New York City Marathon in November for The Parachute Regiment Charity. He runs as part of the 3PARA Gym team with SSgt Gavin Kirk and Pte David Ashton.

3PARA Gym Team: Rob, Gavin, David

The last marathon Rob ran was while serving in Afghanistan in March. Wearing body armour and carrying a General Purpose machine Gun (GPMG), he ran 26 times round his base at Shahzad in temperatures over 40° C. It took him seven hours.

L/Cpl Fisher, 40, from Chorley, said “I try to do a marathon every year for charity,” he said. “I like to put my fitness to good use. This year I am proud to be running for the charity that supports our own Parachute Regiment.

We will be doing the New York Marathon, not for ourselves but as guides for two soldiers who have both been injured in Afghanistan. One is from The Parachute Regiment and the other from the Rifles. ”

Crown Copryright Alison Baskerville RLC

“Afghanistan was one of the hardest things I’ve done,” he admitted. “The marathons I’ve done in the past carrying weight have been tough, but this was a lot harder.

New York is a great city and the weather will be a lot cooler! My time will be much quicker –no GPMG or body armour this time, just boots and bergen.”

When he’s not running marathons, Lance Corporal Fisher serves as a Physical Training Instructor (PTI), making sure his fellow soldiers stay fit.

Donations to support Rob, Gavin, David and The Parachute Regiment Charity can be made at www.justgiving.com/gav-kirk

The team waitng for the start

Read about our Washington US Marine Corps Marathon team here

Martin writes after his 5th place finish in the World Championships:

“Thank you so much for your support which meant so much to me and kept me going when a crazy Chinese woman took me out on the straight and level at 24 MPH. It will mean even more to those our Charity supports which was the aim
of the endeavour.

The race with about 1250 competitors in all age groups went well – apart from the crash.

Reasonable swim  (6th) - my weakest discipline on a course that was unexpectedly 200m longer than the Olympic distance which surprised everyone so those sharks who take 18/19 minutes were around 22mins. Excellent cycle (my strongest discipline) till put down on lap 2 by a crazy who was slip streaming behind me (illegal) and was forced to pass when a roving judge/umpire came up on a motorbike; she focussed on the judge on her outside and slammed into me.

I lost well over 10 minutes sorting out chain and brakes which all jammed and received a bad scrape and road rage from mid calf up hip, side and arm to elbow  which is only now healing. The run (3rd) went well too despite two hills on the 3 lap course which were unexpected till the course recce – one steep for 200m and one less so for 500m on each lap. My transitions between disciplines were good (2nd) which I normally find tough.

Overall finished 5th so within my aim of top ten but would have been 3rd without the crash but couldn’t have beaten the two Americans at 1st and 2nd.

Only Brit in my age group and fastest Europen fossil. Strats is really NOT an athlete rather a PARA head down and go in both training and racing but it was a great experience to be competing in such a great field of real athletes past and present including the Brownlee brothers who are No 1 and 2 in the world.  Also nice to beat nearly 100 people up to 30 years younger.

Again thank you so much for you support which kept me going in the race (and I really did feel like throwing my bike in the ditch and walking back to the hotel after the prang)”.

Strats joined the Reg in 1962, served in 1 and 3PARA, was Training Major of 4PARA, and also at  Depot in Aldershot. He has raised well over £2000 for the Charity. Thank you, Martin

You can still support Martin’s outstanding effort for the Para Charity here

Para Dave sings ‘The King’ – for you

Sgt Dave Walker, 3PARA, won Best Newcomer 2012 at the European Elvis Championships  in January at the Hilton Metropole, NEC, Birmingham. An Opening Night Gala Dinner and Auction was held in aid of the Charity.

At his first show, Dave won Best European Newcomer.  He then appeared at Porthcawl in September to huge acclaim. And now Birmingham.

“I did my first-ever piece on stage and the judges said I ‘smashed it’. I sang Don’t Cry Daddy, In The Ghetto and Way Down.

This is the first time I’d performed as an Elvis tribute and I told my mates I’d rather jump out of a plane with all my kit off at 600ft.”

He is using his voice and talent to help ParaCharity:

“It’s great if this can help out the blokes who have served their country - from the older guys down to the young Paras who were in Afghan with me. One day, when I’m older, I may need help, so I am happy to do what I can now”.

 Our thanks to Michael King and Sioned Cawthray for a fantastic event and a great showcase for Paracharity.

And now ’Elvis’ will sing for you!

Vote and Donate online at his Justgiving page and vote for your favorite Elvis tune – the song with the most donations wins, and Dave will sing it live at Birmingham, at the European Elvis Championships.

Remember – donate online and nominate your top Elvis tune.

“Thank you, thank you very much.”

The European Elvis Championships & Convention January 2012 in Association with the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel, UK. The official home to Europe’s largest and most coveted annual Elvis Contest Convention.

Held annually on Elvis’ birthday weekend, it is recognised worldwide as the number one European Elvis Tribute Artist Contest Convention. Every year over 80 of Europe’s top Elvis tributes battle it out to become crowned the ‘European Champion’.

To help Dave’s cause further,  Elvis Presley Jewellery  will donate to the Charity for all orders with checkout box ticked ’I support Sgt Dave Walker’.

Elvis Presley Jewellery is an Officially Licensed Company. All of our Jewellery has been Authorized and Passed by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Memphis, Tennessee.