Northamptonshire family embark on emotional road trip to France in memory of beloved grandfather
A Northamptonshire family are taking a heartfelt journey through France this July to honour the memory of their beloved grandfather, Mick, who passed away from Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2024. Travelling in his cherished Volkswagen campervan, they’ll retrace familiar routes and scatter his ashes in the places they once made joyful memories together.
Millie Jay, 24, from Northamptonshire, will be travelling with her parents, aunt, and cousin on a week-long trip across northern and central France - including a stay in her great-aunt and uncle’s countryside home in Chambourg-sur-Indre, where the family gathered for holidays throughout her childhood.
“This place holds so many memories for us, especially of summers spent with our Pap,” Millie says. “He loved France, the open road, and being surrounded by family. It felt only right that we return together in his van and say goodbye in the place he was happiest.”
The family will travel in Mick’s beloved Volkswagen Transporter (T4) - a van he proudly maintained for years, and which has since become a treasured symbol of his legacy.
As part of the trip, they’ll scatter some of Mick’s ashes in a quiet moment of reflection, but the family say they’re also focused on joy and togetherness. “It’s not a sad journey,” Millie explains. “It’s about celebrating the life he lived, laughing at old stories, and making new memories in his honour.”
Millie, who also runs a lifestyle blog called Millie Jay Unfiltered, is documenting the journey to raise awareness for MND and to help others find hope and connection through loss.
In 2024, Mick’s former workplace Plumbco, where Millie now works as an e-commerce & marketing coordinator, created the fundraiser #Mickvember in his name - raising over £5,000 for the MND Association.
Their route will take them from Honfleur to Chambourg-sur-Indre to Montreuil-sur-Mer, finishing just before Millie embarks on another major adventure - an Interrail journey across Europe, also documented on her blog and Instagram.
You can follow their France tribute trip and her travels at:
Blog: milliejayunfiltered.com
Instagram: @milliejxy