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Dribbling football fan is coming home - eventually

Caroline GallWest Midlands
BBC James sits on his bag amid high temperatures as he is interviewed while holding his football. He has a large sunhat on with a red T-shirt and shorts. He is unshaven. Grassland can be seen behind him and a blue, cloudless sky.BBC
Chest pains and extreme heat have been adding to James Lewis' challenge

A football fan has reached the halfway point of his challenge to dribble a football from Africa to Staffordshire in time for the World Cup final.

James Lewis is raising money for St Giles Hospice, based in the county, which looked after his father David before his death in 2011.

He started started the challenge in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 1 May and hopes to make it home to Rugeley for the final on 19 July.

He said he had been welcomed by the people he had met on his journey, but was finding the high temperatures tough going and had recently suffered chest pains.

"I've been suffering with some chest pain this last week so I've had to go really slow, but I'm picking up the pace because I need to get home," he said.

James Lewis His father is pictured as a young man playing a white guitar on a stage with a drummer behind him. He is wearing jeans and a denim jacket and a top underneath. He has long reddish/brown hair.James Lewis
James Lewis' father David was treated by the hospice in Staffordshire before his death

"The heat has been the biggest challenge because it was about 36 degrees for about a week or two straight when I got into Spain.

"Now, my biggest challenge is just my chest pains. There's no hospitals out here, it's so rural and because I'm all by myself I need to take it steady in case I have an accident or anything."

In Morocco, he was "looked after" by locals who gave him food and water and he has had a free overnight stay while in Spain.

"I've had a few people in Spain look after me... I was given a free hotel for the night so I could rest and recover after I had my issues with my chest.

"I'm really taken aback by how lovely people have been."

James Lewis Lewis is standing on a bridge over a muddy-looking river. He is in shorts, a top and a sunhat. He has a short beard and is taking the selfie from a tilted angle.James Lewis
Lewis has completed a number of challenges to raise money for the hospice

He said he was just past halfway in terms of mileage back to the UK, so was "on track, just about".

It is the latest in a number of challenges he has undertaken to raise money for the hospice including running blindfolded for 24 hours and running from Paris to Rugeley.

However, he said he was not sure what his father would have made of his latest adventure, especially as he was not a football fan.

"But I'd like to think he would be proud," he added.

"It would be weird if he wasn't, as I'm really suffering right now.

"I think he'd call me a bit of a nutter but I think he'd be proud."

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