'Dribbling ball from Africa to UK a major battle'

A man who dribbled a football from Africa to his home in Staffordshire ahead of the 2026 World Cup final has made it back to English soil.

James Lewis started the challenge in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 1 May and landed in Dover late on Thursday.

"The last four weeks have been a mental rollercoaster," he told BBC WM, explaining that he had faced temperatures of 40C "that have absolutely murdered me".

It is the latest in a number of challenges - which he says will take another nine days for him to get home to Rugeley - undertaken to raise a total of £100,000 for St Giles Hospice, which looked after his dad David in 2011 before he died.

"I'm now on home soil so I'm feeling much, much better," Lewis said.

"But honestly it was the worst time in my life, for a week or two weeks straight, and the worst part was I was all by myself."

Lewis said a friend came to meet him in Dover, "and because I've been on my own for close on three months I nearly cried at the sight of him," he explained.

He wanted to do the challenge from Africa and chose Morocco being the closest nation to the UK, but has struggled both physically and mentally.

"My body is slowly falling apart, ever since week one, however it's mainly been a battle about fighting the heat and all the mental elements such as loneliness and there's a lot of stress involved," he explained.

"But I'm in the UK now, I'm happy, I'm good."

His initial plan was to get to Wembley Stadium in order to be in the fan zone to watch England in the World Cup final, he explained.

"But there is no such thing, there is no England in the final, so I'm heading straight home now to Rugeley," he said.

Lewis's JustGiving page indicates he has so far collected more than £49,000, "which is pretty cool," he added.

The hospice had cared for his father "when I was a young lad," he explained.

"So I want to continue to support them so they can do that for other people."

With more than a week of his journey left to go Lewis adds "I've still got a lot on my plate".

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