Vince fishing for charity cash

Vince Manning has a special date in June to raise more cash for Army veterans following the success of his charity fishing day in aid of Help the Heroes.

Around 30 anglers took part in the event at Pottishaw Fishery near Whitburn and the day was blessed by sparking Spring weather.

Sadly, the sun meant that the fish proved hard to tempt, but that did not put a damper on the day.

Vince, a keen fisherman and a member at Pottishaw, raised a substantial sum from the event which attracted anglers from Fife and the Borders as well as West Lothian and he now looks forward to a special cycle event in June.

He’ll pedal 350 miles in five days during the Big Battlefield Bike Ride and hopes to collect around £3,000 from the two events.

Vince (pictured with his carbon fibre bike at Pottishaw) explained that the charity is close to his heart and said that he and his wife, Carol, were both formerly in the armed forces.

He served with the Royal Engineers for 11 years and Carol was in the nursing corps and he said: “I’ll be cycling through the Somme from June 12 to 18.

“The charity helps wounded veterans and their families and it provides the support they need when they leave the military.

“We felt it was time for us to pull our finger out and do something to help.”

Looking at the bike event, Vince said a lot of training was involved and it will be 70 miles a day when he gets to the battlefields.

He added: “It will go through battlefields but it is not a race and we’ll be visiting various places. There will be commemorative services throughout the ride. I hope to raise nearly £3,000 from the two events.”

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