When Sidmouth running club member Allan Kay heard about the first UK wide Blue Light Active challenge and saw that the Firefighters' Charity was one of the beneficiaries, he quickly signed up, as it is a charity close to his heart.

Allan was set to run the London marathon last year on behalf of the supportive charity and had been busy raising the money required by holding coffee mornings, quiz nights and beetle drives.

When the first lockdown disrupted the event he joined in the 26.2 challenge running around the football field 26.2 times alongside London landmarks, realising that the charity would suffer from the postponement.

The Blue Lights charity challenge was set up for emergency service workers, which retained Sidmouth fire fighter Allan certainly is, as he is also a full time (temporary) firefighter at Exmouth station and is supporting South West Ambulance Service Trust (SWAST) by covering driving duties.

The Mighty Green has set himself the challenge to run a minimum of 5k per day for 32 days; no mean feat when you take in the 12 hour shifts and the five-day residential course he is about to embark on to become a permanent whole time firefighter.

Run leader Allan explained that the Firefighters charity offers specialist, lifelong support for members of the UK fire services community, empowering individuals to achieve mental, physical and social wellbeing throughout their lives.

If you would like to support Allan and make a donation to this worthwhile charity please go to his JustGiving page