College tutor prepares for 147-mile 'Viking Way' fundraiser for veterans charity

Frenchy Grisewood, a uniformed services tutor at North Lindsey College in Scunthorpe, will begin his challenge in Barton-Upon-Humber on Monday (July 20).

Frenchy - alongside several of his current and former students - will follow the Viking Way route down through areas such as Caistor, Ludford, Scamblesby, Horncastle, Woodhall Spa, Lincoln, Cranwell, and Long Bennington. The journey will conclude in Oakham, in the county of Rutland.

The Viking Way is often cycled, but Frenchy will be walking the whole 147 miles - and for an added challenge, he will carry a 50lb weighted backpack.

Some of his current and former students will join him for the entire route, while others will join him for just part of the route.

The latest fundraiser will to help raise money for the charity ‘Veterans With Dogs’, which provides assistance dogs exclusively for current and former members of the British Armed Forces with service-related mental health conditions. Their goal is to improve quality of life, and help them to lead independent lives by training assistance dogs in task-specific skills.

Frenchy said: “I wanted a challenge that was near the College, but also my hometown location. The Viking Way is underrated, and I wanted something that may attract some staff and students to attempt. The response has been awesome, and we have a team of ex-students wanting to take part in the challenge.”

He continued: “The charity was chosen because of the links to the course and that it is a small and newly-formed charity. But the work that they do to ensure that veterans with mental health problems can have the companionship of a trained dog helping them improve their life is amazing.”

Visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/frenchy-grisewood1 to find out more and make a donation.

As reported previously, Frenchy recently raised cash for another good cause on May 25-26, with another one of his exhausting 48 hour challenges.

Thanks to his hard work and determination, and generous donations from members of the public, Frenchy raised an impressive £1,105 for NHS Charities Together.