A retired Army Major who now works for a subsidiary company of MidKent College at the Royal School of Military Engineering will be ‘getting on his bike’ next week to raise money for charity.

The riding challenge, affectionately dubbed Looking on the BRIGHT-on side, will see Major Robin Alexander cycling from the Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME) in Chatham, to Brighton, via London, before returning to the RSME’s Brompton-based Barracks. It starts next Tuesday.

It is hoped the sponsored ride will raise a substantial sum for Help for Heroes, a non-political charity that supports servicemen and women who have been wounded in action. Since its launch from a tin hut in 2007, the relatively young charity has provided vital aid for returning soldiers and their families. Today it does the important work of supporting those who have suffered injuries in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Major Alexander, who served 28 years in the Corps of Royal Engineers, in addition to a further 15 as a Retired Officer at the RSME, said: “Whatever the politics of the day and whatever the reasons for our soldiers being deployed to these hostile areas, they must know that a grateful nation stands squarely shoulder to shoulder in support of their duties.

“I have seen first hand the physical and psychological damage that can be done during times of conflict.

"That trauma does not simply end when a soldier returns home. Help for Heroes is doing a tremendous job of supporting our returning soldiers and their families through those difficult times.”

Sponsorship has already been offered by MKC Training Services Limited, part of MidKent College - which in January became Major Alexander’s official employer following a Public Private Partnership between Holdfast Training Services and the Ministry of Defence.

Halfords, Limen Construction, TECO Interiors Limited and Hi-Spec Flooring have also offered further generous sponsorship donations, as have many individuals.

This latest cycling challenge is not the first Major Alexander has undertaken. In 2003, he cycled around the Ijsslmeer in Holland with his then 11-year-old son, raising an impressive £12,500 for Demelza House Children’s Hospice.

Then, in 2005, the same altruistic pair rode from London to Marseille - this time working through Christian Aid and raising a staggering £14,500 specifically for the Children of Darfur. Finally, in 2007, his bike carried him from London’s Tower Bridge to Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, helping him raise £12,500 for Cancer Research UK. In total, over the course of just six years,

Major Alexander has managed to raise an incredible £40,000 for charity – and he shows no sign of stopping there.