Telford soldier takes on marathon ahead of his preparations for King's Coronation

Garrison Sergeant Major Andrew 'Vern' Stokes, from Coalbrookdale, completed the London Marathon in October last year, raising funds for the Tickets for Troops charity.

Now he's set to take on the challenging 26.2-mile route around the capital again on April 23, this time raising money for ABF The Soldiers' charity.

"It is a really good cause," said GSM Stokes. "They really help out soldiers and veterans – those who have put service before themselves – and their families on a regular basis.

"They also give lots of money to other service charities like the Royal Hospital Chelsea. In a previous job I was a trustee so I know the charity inside and out and the brilliant work they do."

The marathon comes in the build-up to GSM Stokes' work towards the coronation but he has managed to get in more training, compared to the marathon in October, which followed his key duties in the organisation of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.

"I have had more time," he said. "The last marathon happened almost straight after The Queen's Funeral so it was trickier.

"But this time I have been able to stick to most of the weekend stuff which is good because that's the longer runs so I've done a 22 mile jog out of London.

"Weekdays can be harder because you are meant to do six miles every day, here there and everywhere and it's trying to find that time during the week. It can be a challenge but I feel well prepared."

In fact, GSM Stokes, whose responsibility it is to ensure every member of the Armed Forces knows their role in major events, says, training for the marathon can help in preparing for such momentous royal occasions.

"I find when I go running, I don't go with headphones in," he said. "I just find a bit of headspace to think about what needs to be done and what I have missed and what I need to think about in terms of work."

Anyone who would like to sponsor GSM Stokes, can visit https://events.soldierscharity.org/fundraisers/vernstokes