Two former soldiers going by ‘The Hairy Veterans’ are set to walk 62 miles along the Dorset stretch of the Wessex Ridgeway as they raise funds for local charity #Willdoes.

Mike Roberts, 46, and Dave Roberts, 51, who served together in The Royal Tank Regiment, have given themselves three days to complete their trek, hopefully finishing in Lyme Regis on Sunday 25 August.

Mike and Dave, ‘brothers in arms’ from their time serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, are passionate about advocating for positive mental health and raising awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder.

“We’ve remained best friends since leaving the army and started our social media page initially as a bit of fun,” they said.

“However, something was missing so we decided to start raising money for worthy causes.”

Last year, the duo supported Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a military charity for bereaved children and young adults.

This year, they aim to raise a substantial sum for #Willdoes, which supports the mental and physical wellbeing of young people.

Mike explained: “The fact that the charity supports young people who are bottling up their emotions and struggling to just get up in the morning struck a chord with us.

“No young person should have to feel this way and, as a father to a teenager, I find it very worrying.

“#Willdoes has a big agenda, with big plans and a big heart but sadly, being a smaller charity, not a big following when it comes to support.

“I hope to change that by becoming an advocate for mental health and by advertising the charity and the amazing work that it does for young people living within Dorset communities.”

The veterans are encouraging people to donate any amount, big or small, in advance of the hike, and hope that supporters will meet them along the way to donate in person.

Their trek will start at the war memorial in Ashmore on Friday 23 August at around 6:30 to 7:00 am.

“We hope to blog and talk about the history of the local area along the way,” they added.

“More importantly, we want to spread the word about the great work that the charity does in memory of a very special local boy, William Paddy, who sadly died too early, aged only 14.

“Any donation will help #Willdoes to continue the great work that they do in getting children to talk about mental health and supporting them when they feel that life has nothing left to offer.”

• willdoes.co.uk