A MAN dribbling a football from Marrakech to the Midlands has seen his fundraising efforts top £11,000.
James Lewis set off from Morocco on 1st May and is currently making his way through rural Spain as part of his challenge in aid of St Giles Hospice.
Having already covered approximately 800 miles on foot, the 26-year-old is running around 30 miles a day carrying a 15kg pack, with the aim of reaching home by 19th July – the date of the World Cup final.
The challenge has already thrown up extraordinary obstacles, including being chased by wild dogs in Morocco, seeing a ball burst under a bus and being forced to sleep on the floor after being unable to find hotels on one stretch.
The football coach is raising money for St Giles Hospice in Staffordshire in memory of his father, David Lewis, who was cared for at by the Whittington-based charity before his death when James was just 11.
He has raised more than £55,000 for the charity through previous challenges and is targeting £100,000 from this one.
James said:
“It is going really well but it is tough. It is hot every single day and I am running for around ten hours at a time, so there is very little time to rest.
“But I am on schedule and every donation keeps me going. Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far. It means everything.”
Elinor Eustace, chief executive of St Giles Hospice, said:
“To have raised £11,000 in less than a month is a fantastic achievement – and as James prepares to reach Madrid this weekend there is still so much of this incredible journey ahead.
“Every pound brings him closer to his £100,000 target and we cannot wait to see him home.”
To follow James’s progress and donate, visit www.justgiving.com/page/jameslewis26.
