The hardest thing Darren will ever do

Avid Hibs fan Darren Thomson is set to raise funds for two local charities this summer, wearing as many strips of Scottish Premier teams as he can while completing his challenge.
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The 26-year-old, who has been wheelchair-bound since suffering a stroke in 2017, has asked his support worker to push him in his wheelchair from Galashiels to Selkirk, over to the Borders General Hospital, and back to Galashiels on July 21, changing the shirts at rest points.

He said: “I just felt I wanted to do something to help two causes close to my heart, Gala Fairydean Rovers’ disability team and the stroke ward at the BGH.

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"I first thought I would go from Galashiels to Edinburgh, but the police said it would be too dangerous, so I have decided to make it more local.

Hibs fan Darren Thomson is set to make a huge sacrifice for charity.Hibs fan Darren Thomson is set to make a huge sacrifice for charity.
Hibs fan Darren Thomson is set to make a huge sacrifice for charity.

"I felt that there are other people who may be disabled that support other teams, so I wanted to wear their strips too.

"Of course, that means doing something I thought I’d never do … wear a Hearts strip.

"It won’t be easy, in fact it will be the most difficult thing I have ever done, but it’s for charity.”

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"The Sun has said they will send a photographer for when I wear it, so a picture of me in a Hearts top will be in a national newspaper,” he added, shaking his head.

It’s not the first time Darren has hit the headlines by making declarations about the Tynecastle side.

After undergoing surgery following his stroke, he had been unable to talk for almost four months, but having listened to nurses and doctors talking about the team in maroon, he uttered his first words for a while: “Hearts are S***e”.

He said the story went viral, adding: “People in Australia were even reading about it, so I thought it would be a good way to make money for my charities.”

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Darren has contacted all the clubs in Scotland’s top flight to see if they will send him a shirt.

He said: “Dundee United were brilliant, getting straight back to me saying a strip was in the post, but Rangers told me they don’t do that sort of thing.

"My idea is that I’ll be able to auction the strips off after the charity event to earn more money for the causes.

Darren has set up a Just Giving page, and has already collected £100 of his £10,000 target from pals.