Perhaps they were buying barbecues and ice-cream, as the beautiful summer weather did not keep shoppers away from Tesco superstore last weekend. In fact, some came along especially to pledge a donation for The Rifles, Care for Casualties fundraiser.

Paulton Veteran, Paul Thorner and his wife, Sharon, were out in force on Saturday morning, along with helpers, Caroline Holbrook and Beckie Eschle, the Community Champion for Tesco, to collect money for the Rifles’ charity.

Care for Casualties looks after injured veterans who suffer from PTSD, along with other injuries as a result of their heroic service in war zones across the world.

Last Saturday’s event raised an amazing £770 and counting, as money continues to be pledged in the pots at tills and on Paul’s Justgiving page.

Sharon said: “We simply cannot get over the level of support we have received from the public and local companies that have pledged donations. We met some lovely people, who stopped by to chat to Paul regarding their service experiences and emotional stories and some to just say ‘Thank you for your service’.

“At present, we have raised around £3,000, which is an amazing achievement. We set out to raise £1,000 in total. This was achieved within one week of setting up the justgiving page.

“Paul has been training hard to achieve this goal and is overwhelmed by the support he has received!”

Paul will be carrying over 20 kilos of bricks and kit across 45 miles of Hadrian’s Wall in September, accompanied by 185 veterans and serving personnel. The bricks are in memory of loved ones that are sadly no longer with us, including veteran, Glyn Woodland, from Peasedown St John.

Tesco Manager, Neil Lacey, was given the task to carry the backpack for an hour during the visit, by colleagues at the store.

Paul and Sharon would like to thank everyone who has pledged donations and sponsored this fantastic cause so far and to Tesco for all of their help and support.

Readers can visit Paul’s JustGiving page at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/paul-thorner