Disabled Northampton veteran to take part in 1,000 mile rally to raise money for charity that helped him through 'tough period'
A veteran from Northampton, who became disabled due to an Army tour in Iraq, is set to take on a 1,000 mile rally in support of a charity that helped him through a “tough period”.
Dean Griffin, from Northampton, who is known as the Travelling Veteran on social media and YouTube (@TravellingVeteran), travels to help veterans who struggle with disabilities, and has been known to take part in the Veterans Honour Rally previously.
Last year, his team raised £830 for charity and this year they hope to raise more than £1,000.
When asking Dean about why he takes part, he said: “I am an Armed Forces veteran that became disabled due to my Army service in Iraq in 2003.
"Since then I have really struggled with my disability on and off over the years.
"During my college training, I was on benefits and had hardly a penny to live on…It was at this point when I reached out to The Veterans Charity for help.
“Within 24 hours I had my fridge and cupboards full of food which helped us get through this tough period.
"Since this I have tried to raise all I can to help others through The Veterans Charity and have personally donated a lot more than I received.”
The Veterans Honour Rally is an annual event where up to 100 teams of cars and bikes navigate through the UK in a “semi-challenging” route to raise money for military veterans.
Each team chooses what vehicle they would like to use, ranging from bikes, to Lamborghinis or even scooters to make the event as unique and adventurous as possible.
In their last rally, they raised more than £55,000 for their chosen charities and strive to do the same thing this year as they prepare to set off once again.
From Monday September 2 to Saturday September 7, the teams will set off from The National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire and stop at Skegness, Lowestoft, Brighton and Torquay, before ending in Rhyl where they will be taking part in a street parade along the promenade, joined by other groups, marching bands, armed forces and more. In total, they will be driving more than 1,000 miles over five days.
The Veterans Charity was founded in March 2008 to support UK Veterans of all generations and support veterans facing hardship and distress. They supply essentials such as food and clothing, and help communication by supplying smartphones and tablets.
Since 2011, they have provided support to more than 4,500 Veterans and their families despite having a small budget due to being a self-funded charity.