Octogenarian fundraiser Jeffrey Long from Bingley has successfully completed a 100-mile walk along the south coast raising more than £27,000 for the Royal British Legion.

Sadly, when he crossed the finish line on Sunday morning, he had raised just £25, but a quick appeal on Twitter saw support pour in from all over the world swelling the pot to £27,000 in just 24 hours.

Celebrities including, comedians Iain Lee, Al Murray and Jason Manford, newsreader Alastair Stewart and author Neil Gaiman all tweeted their support for the former Paratrooper. He’s since received donations from Toronto, Paris and New York.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Jeffrey, who takes chemotherapy drugs every day due to a blood disorder, hiked 100 miles from Sandwich to Newhaven last week, arriving just before 11am on Armistice Day to lay a wreath marking 100 years since the end of World War One.

This is the second time that Jeffrey has ‘gone viral’ – last year a Twitter intervention by Jason Manford helped Jeffrey to raise £120,000 for the armed forces community.

Jeffrey said: “The aim of this walk was to visit the ports that were used in the First World War, covering roughly 20 miles every day. It’s a big challenge when you get to my age.

“My feet are a bit sore, and I did get blown over by strong winds on top of a cliff one evening, but otherwise I’m doing OK.”

Jeffrey, who recently turned 87, was accompanied by Joanna Cadman, 63, Chair of the Royal St George Society. He served in the Parachute Regiment from 1952 – 1957, but had a serious accident in 1954 when his chute failed to deploy properly and he hit the ground heavily. Jeffrey said: “It certainly slowed me down a bit, it doesn’t help when you fall 500ft.” He still struggles with the pain today and has injuries to both his feet, but remains determined to raise funds for the Legion.

Jeffrey, from Bingley, West Yorkshire, is a serial fundraiser who started his charity work 11 years ago when he walked 650 miles from London to Lausanne in Switzerland. Since then he has completed many walks including Liverpool to Leeds, Hadrian's Wall and the Three Peaks Challenge.

Jeffrey said: “If you look after the armed forces, they’ll look after you. The Legion is at the heart of a national network providing help and support to the Armed Forces community across a wide range of areas from benefit, money and debt advice to war pensions and care homes. Your donations will help the Legion to continue this excellent work into the future.”

Debra Westlake, the Legion’s Community Fundraiser for West Yorkshire, said the money Jeffrey has raised will change the lives of serving and former military personnel.

She said: "We are really grateful to Jeffrey, he is a complete force of nature. His track record in fundraising is incredible and to have done so many walks and raised so much money for our Armed Forces community is truly remarkable. I did worry when I saw he was only on £25, but the Twitter appeal has worked a treat and it’s been amazing to see so much love and support from right across the globe.”

• Jeffrey’s JustGiving page is here