More than 45 Portsmouth supporters, alongside fans of Brighton and Hove Albion, set off this week on a 23-mile (37km) walking tour of Normandy to raise money for Blind Veterans UK. The group departed from Portsmouth on Thursday evening and are due back on Sunday, visiting some of the most significant Second World War sites in northern France along the way.
Rivals united for a shared cause
Whatever happens on a football pitch, supporters of Portsmouth and Brighton have put club loyalties firmly to one side for this trip. The group, organised by Steve Darby, includes five blind veterans, a deliberate decision to honour the same number who took part in the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944. Darby described the walk as an opportunity to pay "respects to those who didn't make it" and "those that came back and suffered with eye loss and other conditions".
The group crossed to France by ferry and are due to arrive in Ouistreham, near Sword Beach, the most easterly of the five Allied landing beaches. From there they will visit Pegasus Bridge and Ver-sur-Mer before completing the tour at the British Normandy Memorial, which records the names of the 22,442 people killed on D-Day and during the wider Battle of Normandy. The group will unveil a plaque at the memorial before returning home.
Blind Veterans UK: the cause behind the walk
All funds raised will go directly to Blind Veterans UK, a charity that supports ex-service personnel who have lost their sight. The organisation has a regional hub in Rustington, West Sussex, and works with veterans across the country. Darby said Ouistreham was a "very emotional place" for the group, a sentiment that will resonate with anyone who has visited the Normandy coastline.
The inclusion of blind veterans on the walk itself adds a layer of meaning that straightforward fundraising rarely achieves. These are not passengers on a heritage tour; they are participants in a physically demanding march across terrain that carries enormous historical weight.
A Portsmouth tradition of supporter-led charity
Portsmouth's fanbase has a long reputation for community involvement, and events like this sit comfortably within that culture. Fratton Park's attendances consistently reflect a supporter base that is deeply embedded in its city, and that civic identity tends to express itself off the pitch as well as on it.
Charity walks of this kind rarely make the back pages, but they say something genuine about a club's supporters that transfer fees and league tables cannot capture. Forty-five people giving up a long weekend, paying their own way to France and walking more than 20 miles in tribute to veterans is the sort of thing that tends to go unreported. It is worth noting.
All proceeds from the Normandy walk go to Blind Veterans UK. Those wishing to support the charity can find further information through the organisation's own website.
Frequently asked
- Why are Portsmouth fans walking in Normandy?
- More than 45 Portsmouth and Brighton supporters are completing a 23-mile walking tour of Normandy's D-Day sites to raise money for Blind Veterans UK. The group includes five blind veterans and will unveil a plaque at the British Normandy Memorial.
- What is Blind Veterans UK?
- Blind Veterans UK is a charity that supports former members of the armed forces who have lost their sight. It has a regional hub in Rustington, West Sussex, and all proceeds from the Normandy walk will go to the organisation.
- Which sites are the Portsmouth fans visiting in Normandy?
- The group is visiting Pegasus Bridge, Ver-sur-Mer and the British Normandy Memorial, as well as arriving at Ouistreham near Sword Beach, one of the five Allied landing beaches from the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944.