An Army major arrives in Rutland today as part of his barefoot walk from Land's End to Edinburgh.

Major Chris Brannigan, 40, is undertaking the mammoth effort in aid of his daughter Hasti, 8, who has a rare genetic disease Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS).

His appeal aims to raise £400,000 to fund research into the illness.

Chris said on his Just Giving Page: "I'm a dad to a little girl called Hasti. Hasti is eight and she dreams of being a chef or a dancer when she grows up, but she also has a rare genetic condition which currently has no treatment or cure!

"I am doing this challenges to raise the funds needed to create a gene therapy treatment to change her fate and to give her the future she deserves.

"In March 2020, I set up a charity, 'CdLS Hope for Hasti' (charity number 1188769). The aim of the charity is to fund the research and development of a ground breaking gene therapy treatment for children suffering from this terrible disease.

"The total cost is £400,000. We are running out of time to raise the money as mental decline will start at puberty, and that is not far away for Hasti."

Today, Chris, who is based at Tidworth Army Barracks in Wiltshire, was walking north of Peterbrough, aiming to arrive in Cottesmore.

Tomorrow, he will walk from Cottesmore to Grantham and from Wednesday, from Grantham to RAF Syerston.

Last week, Chris stopped off at 10 Downing Street to deliver a petition calling better treatment for those affected by rare diseases.