Twenty-four-year-old Fraser Rosser-Smyth has set himself the challenge of completing a 60-day solo pilgrimage from Geneva to Rome, along the 800-mile Via Francigena.
The Harpenden explorer will undertake his journey along the ancient cross-nation route on May 14, in aid of the Harpenden Mencap charity.
Fraser will travel over the Alps, crossing the snow drifts of the Great St Bernard Pass, before making his descent into Italy and ending his journey at the Vatican.
He hopes to reach Rome, and the independent nation of the Vatican, in early July.
Since the Middle Ages, the Via Francigena has operated as the the major pilgrim route from western Europe to Rome.
Raising money for Harpenden Mencap, Fraser's brother lives with Down's Syndrome and requires significant support so that he may live an independent fulfilling life.
He has raised £1,111 via a JustGiving page so far.
Fraser said: "I am sure this adventure will have its challenges, but it also looks to be great fun and I cannot wait to get started.
"It is common for people to undertake such 'treks' in the name of a charity.
"Therefore, I will be walking for Harpenden Mencap - an organisation close to my heart, which aims to offer local Harpenden individuals with a learning disability the support they require to lead an enriched and fulfilling life.
"Harpenden Mencap does vital work in our community, supporting and (most importantly) enabling adults with a learning disability.
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"Unfortunately, donations and fundraising for this local organisation have drastically fallen since the pandemic. It is my hope that, in my own small way, I can assist in their efforts to turn this around.
"God created us all in his own image. Too often our world views a learning disability as a ‘mistake’, a ‘scientific mishap’, where something has gone ‘wrong’.
"I speak from personal experience when I say that it is nothing of the sort. It is a blessing. It is a gift.
"Those with additional complex needs enrich the world around them. Harpenden Mencap works tirelessly to try and enrich their lives in return."
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