Hull ex-soldier facing amputation completes Poppy Appeal run
An ex-soldier who is due to have his leg amputated has completed a 5km run to raise funds for the Poppy Appeal.
Jon Hilton, 41, and from Hull, is a Royal Engineers veteran of Bosnia, Iraq, Kosovo and Northern Ireland. Mr Hilton, who is due to have his surgery next month, finished the run in 33 minutes and said: "The emotion I felt was hiding the pain of the run." He leg is to be amputated due to a blood clot and damage caused to the vascular system, he said. The run around a course in Hull's East Park has already raised £1,500 pounds. His initial target was £250. He said he had done the run to help the appeal because charities were struggling with Covid restrictions hitting their fundraising. Mr Hilton, who now lives in Beverley, said: "I wanted to do a final run with two legs as something could go wrong. "I started to feel more pain on the second lap of the run and was in agony, but I got to the finish line." Hull's Lord Mayor, Steve Wilson, handed Mr Hilton a Civic Crown award and his Poppy Run 2020 medal. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service Mr Hilton said: "I just want to say a massive 'thank you' to everyone who's supported me, it's outstanding. "I might never get to do this again, so I want it to be worthwhile." Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.