FORMER Tavistock College student, Rob Allen, will be running in the London Marathon on April 22, for the Army Benevolent Fund.

Rob, aged 45 and whose family used to live in Chillaton, has retired from the Royal Engineers as a Warrant Officer, and now works for Optima Defence in Swindon.

For the last years of his service, he was involved with training soldiers and other international groups to deal with IEDs — the improvised explosive devices that are so lethal in Afghanistan, and is continuing this role in civilian life.

Apart from several tours in Germany, spells at the Engineer's centres in the UK and training recruits, he was deployed to the First Gulf War, had three tours in Bosnia, followed by the Second Gulf War. After getting married in 2007 he went to Afghanistan (Rob is pictured serving there).

Later he and his wife spent two years in Kenya, as he was based at the British Peace Support Team's Headquarters where, among other things, he gained further experience training Africans to clear landmines.

He says after surviving 24 years in the army without a scratch he feels it is time to raise some money for those great people who were not so lucky — including some of his friends.

If you remember Rob and would like to help him reach his £2,000 target, go to http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Allen4">www.justgiving.com/Rob-Allen4 to sponsor him.