Soldier taking on charity sit up challenge

A soldier from Teesside is set to take part in a fundraising event that will see him perform around 4,000 sit ups in two and a half hours.

Captain Ian Flannery will attempt the challenge in memory of a fallen friend who died trying to rescue him, the Evening Gazette reports.

The 36-year-old plans to spend his New Year's Day lunch break at Camp Bastion doing sit ups to raise money for the Captain James Philippson Trust Fund.

Captain Philippson was killed in a Taliban ambush on his way to rescue others and Captain Flannery has already raised £12,000 in his memory after he ran the 250km Marathon des Sables across the Sahara Desert.

The soldier explained how he was inspired to take on the sit up challenge after building up the number of repetitions he can do in the camp's gym.

"I thought there must be a way of using my growing capacity to do so many repetitions and thought it was time I organised something else to raise cash for my friend's trust fund," Captain Flannery stated.

Posted by Samantha Thompson