An armed forces charity is calling for people to put their best foot forward over Christmas to support homeless veterans.

Walking With the Wounded, based on the Stody Estate in Melton Constable, wants to raise £40,000 through its Walking Home For Christmas campaign running from December 15 and 26.

It wants people to walk any distance between that time to raise money for its Home Straight project, which gets homeless ex-servicemen and women into accommodation and employment through holistic support.

To kick off the new campaign, 10 staff from Walking With the Wounded completed just over 11 miles on foot from its headquarters to Gately near Dereham yesterday.

Andrew Cook, head of fund-raising and one of the walkers, said: 'We want to get 2,500 people walking somewhere over Christmas. We want the campaign to grow until it becomes a mainstay of the festive period. Wherever you walk or how far you walk is not the point - it is about registering your support for homeless veterans.'

Anyone taking part needs to pay £15 to the charity.

Mr Cook added: 'Homelessness is shattering. It is a complete breakdown of support networks a family units. There is a strong link between homelessness and depression and it takes years to recover. Homeless veterans are often a shadow of their former selves.'

To sign up visit http://tinyurl.com/walkinghomeforchristmas

Do you have an armed forces charity story? Email sophie.wyllie@archant.co.uk