A FORMER soldier took to the treadmill in preparation for a 100-kilometre trek.

Ned Kelly, 43, from Broadstone, Poole, will be heading to Jordan in October in aid of Help for Heroes – after “years of watching, listening and learning of the atrocities our men and women of the armed services endure”.

Recently, he undertook a 12-hour walk – about 26 miles – on a treadmill at the Virgin Active club in Poole.

He said: “I was in the Army and left in 1994 and I wanted to give something back. When I was in I broke my back and I have an arthritic knee. I thought I would do it for that. “It’s been alright, the legs are sore and heavy, but it’s gone really well.

“I’ve been training for the last four months and I will be doing more in the summer.”

The trek will head through the arduous Jordan desert, wadis and jagged mountains, which rise to 1,400m.

It will take in ancient archaeological sites that are among the oldest in the Middle East, and will travel along traditional trails of the Bedouin to Petra.

Ned, who still battles back pain daily, and his fellow trekkers will camp en-route and travel with local Bedouin.

Now a warehouse worker, Ned has undertaken various events and is around halfway towards the £3,000 he needs. To help his cause, visit bmycharity.com/nedkelly2012.

Help for Heroes

Help for Heroes was launched in October 2007 to provide direct, practical support to those wounded, sick or injured in the line of duty since 9/11.

All the funds raised to date are either allocated or spent on the support of those wounded in current conflicts.

So far, Help for Heroes has funded a variety of projects, including the £8m Rehabilitation Complex at Headley Court, a new £3.5m treatment centre for Combat Stress, adaptive adventure training through the Battle Back programme and the creation of a £6m Quick Reaction Fund to support individuals in need.