At the beginning of the year we announced the launch of the 'Team 28 for 28' Challenge - a physical fundraising challenge marking the retirement of our Head of Events Rosie Thompson after an incredible 28 years' service to the The Not Forgotten.
Every single week during the whole of 2026 Rosie is walking or running 28 miles - totalling an incredible 1,456 miles by 31 December! She is being joined by 27 veterans, partners and supporters, forming the formidable ‘Team 28 for 28’.
Each member of the team will be walking or running their own 28 miles per week – a real feat of commitment, perseverance and stamina across the year. Their aim is to raise between them a total of £28,000 for The Not Forgotten.
Now that we're almost three months into the challenge, we thought it was time for an update, sharing some of the stories of the team and how they have been achieving their 28 miles each week.
Sheila Ellson
Sheila is a Wren who served from 1975 - 1984. She now lives in "sunny Hull" and is covering her 28 miles a week walking around Hull and surrounding areas - from the Humber Bridge to the Hull Flood Barrier, the Lost Trawlermen Memorial at St Andrew's Dock to Withnersea Pier. Her '28 for 28' walks have taken in the Rugby League World Cup at MKM Stadium Hull, and coming face to face with Vikings in York!
Tony and Olga
Tony Storr and his partner Olga have been racking up the miles around their hometown of Cheltenham, including doing their local Park Run with someone you might recognise, who served with Tony in 17 Port and Maritime Regiment RCT in late 80s - Dame Kelly Holmes...
Jack Finn-Kelcey
Jack has taken 28 for 28 to the extreme - in February he took a day out of his ski-tutoring in Breckenridge Colorado to ski 28 miles for the challenge (and actually ended up skiing 42!). This month Jack has covered many miles on a trip through Northumberland and Scotland, and conquered Ben Nevis in deep snow!
Others in the team have also been out in all weathers - here is Susie Cumberland near Birmingham, Chris Last in the Mendips and Debbie Matthews near Plymouth.
Ben Roberts
Ben ran the Chelmsford Half Marathon on 1st March to add to his total...
While several like Dave Wakelin and Sarah Reid have roped in their four-legged friends to spur them on their way!
Kiwi the dog - the Team 28 for 28 Mascot
Kiwi is undertaking the 28 for 28 challenge herself - tracked by her owners Martin and Catherine Ash. Over the past 11 weeks she has clocked up an incredible 308 miles on her walks!
And a big thank you to Anne McGinley (who many will recognise from her 25 years' service as TNF's former Events Coordinator) - Anne is not only part of the team walking 28 miles every week but is doing all the admin behind the team effort, logging participants' miles weekly and keeping everyone’s morale boosted.
In support of Team 28 for 28 we are inviting the wider Not Forgotten community to come up with your own ideas for fundraising to the theme of '28'.
Hold a coffee and cake morning for 28 people, craft 28 cuddly toys, complete 28 walks in 28 cities, host an evening of 28 cocktails, organise a sponsored pub crawl around 28 pubs or 28 rounds of golf….
Any idea goes! There is no pressure to raise huge amounts of money, just whatever you can - it might be £28, £128, £280, £528… any amount is wonderful just so long as the end sum has the figure 28 in it somewhere! Every 28 for 28 Fundraiser will receive a limited-edition badge and certificate as a thank you for their support.
Ang Reynolds
Ang has set herself the challenge of painting 28 pictures in 28 weeks, beginning on March 1st and ending on 13 September. Her paintings will all be different styles, mediums and sizes. Above is her first painting "I wanted this to be a special one for The Not Forgotten so it is the symbol of the charity, the elephant head", and her second, a beautiful hare in soft pastels. Using her incredible talent Ang has already raised almost £1,000!
Chris Whitehead has knitted 28 chicks and ladybirds with creme eggs inside, to sell for Easter.
While Carin Pollexfen-Smith is making 28 Christmas cakes throughout the year to sell in the festive season.
JJ Adams has set herself a personal weight-loss challenge of shedding 28lbs (2 stone) in 28 weeks.
Maggie Lawlor swam 28 lengths every day during the 28 days of February.
Keith Potter
Keith tabbed 28 miles over 7 days in early March, carrying 28 lbs in his pack. He covered his challenge on his YouTube channel 'Let's Tab 59' and got huge support, giving each of his sponsors a public shout out to say thank you personally - and raised a phenomenal £5,282!
Gaz Humphrey has been in hospital for nearly 4 weeks but hasn't let that deter him from fundraising - here he had completed 28 laps of his hospital ward!
Teresa Barrow
Teresa has crocheted 300 crochet poppies: "My target was 280 but I carried on until the wool ran out!" Not only are Teresa's poppies raising money for '28 for 28' but they are being taken to Normandy to form part of the Standing with Giants memorial installation. Now she has finished the poppies, Teresa has started on her next '28 for 28' crochet challenge, creating 28 elephants (called 'June' after TNF's cuddly elephant mascot Juno) - each elephant will take Teresa a week to make.
Irene Jackman is holding coffee and cake day on 24th April, with a lucky dip containing 28 prizes
While Suzanne Groake-Oliver is hosting a garden party in Royal Wootton Bassett, with 28 items of food and drinks to chose from!
And possibly the cutest fundraiser...
Grady the guide dog, belonging to Sue Eyles, is aiming to be photographed in different locations wearing 28 different bow ties throughout the year! This one is a bespoke TNF bow tie Sue had made specially. How smart does he look!
The total raised by the '28 for 28' Fundraising Campaign so far is over £17,000!
And that's only three months into the year - think what our 28 for 28 Team and Community can raise by December! Keep following our social media for updates or sign up to the TNF newsletter
To make a donation in support of Team 28 for 28 go to the 28 for 28 JustGiving page
This Sunday Nick Sandall and a group of eight of his family and friends are taking to the streets of Paris in the city’s famous half marathon, the ‘Semi de Paris’.
Taking in a fabulous route around the iconic French capital from Île de la Cité and the Sorbonne, out east, across the Seine, through the Ois de Vincennes and finishing at the Place de la Bastille, it sounds like one of the most interesting half marathons out there – and we’re thrilled that Nick’s team of nine have decided to run the race to raise funds for The Not Forgotten.
We caught up with Nick in his final week of training to ask about why he signed up for the race, how he talked his family into joining him, and what has inspired his support for the veteran community.
“I used to be a very good 800m runner when I was 14”, Nick explains, “Then I stopped to concentrate on more fun things as a teenager! I was becoming a full-time athlete whilst at school, which I didn’t want to do with my life. I then didn’t really run again until three years ago when I turned 60. For my 60th I said I would run a half marathon – and now this is my third in a row”. He ran Hampton Court half marathon, followed by Paris last year after his daughter moved to the city.
“I put months of training in, giving me a focus, and it’s now become a habit, doing something for a charity at this time of year”. Next year he even has his sights set on a midnight marathon in Iceland!
Following a “first career” in professional services, Nick’s “second career” as he describes it is as “facilitator, executive coach and fishing guide” taking him all over Europe. Since last year Nick has also served on the Board of The Not Forgotten, having come across us after we approached him about taking veterans on fishing trips.
His respect for the military and veterans came well before that however. Nick has been deeply moved, he says, by the experiences of family members serving in the military.
“I have seen what it is like when they come back. The complexities of what service people and veterans go through. I think there is a growing realisation in my generation that so many of our children and friends’ children are serving in our military and that they need our support in return for their sacrifices.”
Tomorrow will see the whole of the centre of Paris shut for the race, with 50,000 runners plus their supporters filling the city. “There are no cars allowed, there are bands playing every kilometre, the atmosphere is amazing, it’s really nice.”
Nick's group of nine runners range in age from their sixties through to their forties and twenties and is a real family affair including Nicks’ daughter, two sons, their friends and girlfriends. “We won’t all run together” explains Nick, “But we’ll start together and gather afterwards to share our stories.”
Nick’s final weeks of training have been made even more tough by him developing sciatica – but he is battling through, determined not to let that hold him back. “My body is having to work a bit harder - one leg won’t move properly but I won’t let that stop me! I did the race in 1 hour 52 minutes last time but because of my legs I will keep pace with my daughter (who has never run before and is doing incredibly) and aim for 2 hours 20.”
He certainly sounds all prepared. “I’m ready, I’ve got my gels and very sort of ointment you can buy. I just need to book the restaurant for afterwards!”
We ask what Nick’s advice would be to anyone else considering running a half marathon or any other physical fundraising challenge.
“Follow a training plan, but be realistic and flexible with that plan. Don’t hurt yourself. Do some slow running as well as interval running, that’s very important. And concentrate on stretching properly! It really does make a big difference, otherwise you just create injuries for yourself. Also keep hydrated and fuelled – and do that properly, work out when to eat and drink when in training.”
The most important thing however is to prepare yourself mentally. “It’s a mental challenge more than a physical one. It’s about grit. This morning, I was late out of bed and went out for a run in the pouring rain, got drenched by a car going through a puddle, but I just had to grit my teeth and keep going.”
But anyone can do it, if you want to. “If you take it little by little, step by step, anyone can achieve it, even if they’ve never run before.”
He reflects finally, “If I’m struggling at any point, I just remember what I’m raising money for. Oh, it hurts? Just think what it’s like for people coming back from active service. We're doing this for people who have given in a way most of us will never give.”
Please help Nick and his team raise as much as they possibly can to support our injured veterans and service people.
Sponsor them at
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/tnfparishalfmarathon