A FALKLANDS veteran from Redditch is set to mark the 40th anniversary of the war with a commemorative bike ride with fellow soldiers.

Gary Steele served in the second battalion of the Parachute Regiment during the Falklands campaign, where he fought in the battle for Goose Green and was wounded in action during the battle for Wireless Ridge.

This summer the 61-year-old will take part in the Falklands 40 ride which will see around 30 veterans cycle for eight days to locations around the country that have a connection to the conflict.

Redditch Advertiser: Gary with event organiser Gus Hales and fellow Redditch veteran Jason Wright.Gary with event organiser Gus Hales and fellow Redditch veteran Jason Wright.

The ride starts in Cardiff on June 5 from the Welsh National Falklands Memorial before heading to Brecon where key army preparations for the war were carried out.

They will also stop by the SAS memorial church in Hereford and RAF Cosford.

Movingly, they will stop at the village of Meriden which is approximately 255 miles into the ride to remember the 255 British lives lost in the conflict.

The ride will conclude at a war cemetery in Aldershot where many of the fallen are buried.

Gary said the ride is a celebration as well as a commemoration and will be chance to reunite with fellow comrades.

He said: “A lot of the boys are getting on a bit now so it’s a bit of a challenge as well as a celebration of the anniversary.

“In some ways the Falklands is quite a forgotten war. This shows we are still here and we can still do things.”

Originally from Batchley, Gary joined the forces aged 16 and was sent to the Falklands in 1982.

He now lives in Sambourne and works in IT.

The ride is open to everyone, with people invited to join in with the cycle at any point of the route.