An army veteran who was blinded during service in Iraq and who is now a franchisee within the Property Franchise Group, is to embark on a marathon cycle ride.

Craig Lundberg, 33, of Liverpool, lost his sight in 2007 when he was just 21 while serving with the Duke of Lancaster regiment. He was hit by grenades, with both his eyes having to be subsequently removed.

This month he is to join a cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise money for the charity Blind Veterans UK.

Lundberg, a former lance-corporal who joined the Army at 16, was helped by the Blind Veterans UK centre in Brighton.

There he met, and was inspired by, an 80-year-old veteran who had been blinded in the Battle of El Alamein and who told him not to let blindness determine who he was.

The veteran had run a successful business, had children and grandchildren, and was at the centre to learn a new challenge – how to send emails.

Lundberg’s own achievements since being blinded and suffering other injuries have been considerable. They  include running the London marathon, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and playing blind football for his country.

He and his partner Nicola Carter have three young children and together run the Whitegates Woolton office, which they have owned since 2016.

The ride, on a tandem where he will be partnered by a seeing cyclist, begins on June 11.

uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/BlindTandemChallenge