Charity walk for Fran in footsteps of grandparents

Fran Hutchinson, from Yeadon, said that years earlier her grandparents had walked from St Bees in the Lake District to Robin Hood’s Bay to raise money for a tinnitus charity.

She said it would be fitting to walk the same route after her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She will take the challenge alongside university friend Sooz Moloney, 27.

Fran said: “I thought it would be nice to follow in my grandparents’ footsteps.

“Alzheimer’s can have a really devastating effect. It can effectively change someone’s personality and that can be really sad for the family.

“For the person suffering they might know something is wrong but not know what it is.

“But it’s amazing the support that the Alzheimer’s Society can give.”

The coast-to-coast walking challenge, which the pair will undertake in April, typically takes two weeks if completed without a rest day.

Fran, 27, said: “We definitely both need to do a bit more training but my main concern about it is will we have enough to talk about when it’s just the two of us?”

Fran’s grandparents raised more than £1,400 when they completed the challenge 23 years ago and she is hoping to top their record.

Anyone who wants to donate to their cause can visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sooz-and-fran.