A SOUTH Lakeland man is hoping to add to his family's line of military history by undertaking an ambitious restoration of an old army vehicle.

Yves Leather, 21, of Crosthwaite, near Kendal, wants to restore a 1971 Land Rover Series 2a ambulance which had a one-year tour in Belfast with the British Army.

"Members of my family were involved in the armed forces and they all had their own unique story," he said. "I'm not involved in the forces so I thought I would try to add to that family history by restoring a military vehicle.

"I'm restoring a part of history. This ambulance is quite rare because there aren't many of them left."

Mr Leather came across the 'rotten' Land Rover in Hull and purchased it for £1,600. Once his extensive restoration is complete, he intends to sell it on and donate half the proceeds to the RAF Benevolent Fund and other army charities.

"It was pretty much rotten when I bought it," he said. "It didn't have the wheels, the engine wasn't working and it was missing doors.

"I don't have an engineering background but I thought it would be an interesting project.

"It has been difficult but there's a wealth on knowledge in South Lakeland and around Kendal. A lot of people with classic cars or Land Rovers have offered help and this wouldn't be possible without them."

This particular Land Rover was originally used as a training vehicle in South Wales, according to Mr Leather, and was then based in Northern Ireland for a year where it sustained significant damage. It was then shipped back to be used for training before being decommissioned and sold off in 1998.

You can support Mr Leather's restoration project by visiting https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/kendalambulanceproject