BNLUKer Andrew Gibney and his chums are walking to Lille, France (yes you read that correctly!) for charity.

Andrew Gibney (Gib, to some) is a Barenaked Ladies fan of many years, and a good friend of BNLUK. Alongside some very talented friends, Gib runs a popular football site French Football Weekly, documenting – as the title suggests – the latest news, rumours and stats from the French leagues.
This week, FFW announced that their team are getting set to embark on a mammoth challenge: walking to Lille, to raise money for the MS Society.

From their site, the plan is as follows:

The four of us will walk from Sheffield to Hull, then hop on the ferry to Zeebruge, arrive in Belgium and walk down to France, arriving six days later at Lille’s new Grand Stade Lille Metropole. Lille are set to face Olympique Marseille on the weekend beginning the 13th of April. Most likely the game will be moved to the Sunday night, for the late TV kick-off. We plan to leave Sheffield on Sunday the 7th of April and arrive in Lille on Friday the 12th of April, barring any delays or emergencies.

We really admire Gib and co.’s determination – although some may say the task ahead is unenviable! Andrew has been training hard already, and hopes to raise a lot of money for a cause close to his heart. Sadly, Andrew’s father-in-law was diagnosed with MS and after only a few years with the disease, he struggles with his mobility and it has impacted his day-to-day life.

Speaking to BNLUK, Gib said:

There’s no going back now, we’ve announced it, people have generously donated money already, the word is starting spread. Right now I’m filled with a mixture of fear and excitement. Thank god we have 240 odd days to get ready. I would love to be able to start right now as I can’t wait to do it, but I am fully aware my body would probably fail somewhere near Doncaster.

It’s going to be an amazing experience, doing something that not only helps a great cause but pushing myself to achieve something wonderful, a real personal achievement. Something I will always be able to look back on, who knows it may spur me on to do something else.