A GLOBAL star of the darts world will be visiting Barrow as part of an ambitious three-day charity road trip.
James Wade, ranked fifth in the Professional Darts Corporation Order of Merit, will be greeting fans at Little Tony's Tyre Shop on Shore Street, on Wednesday, September 28, as part of the 'James Wade 501 Rally' to raise money for Bipolar UK, a condition that Wade himself suffers from.
Wade will be visiting nine major stockists of Falken tyres, which sponsors Wade, during a 501-mile drive from Inverness to London in a £501 Ford Focus.
He will spend an hour at the shop, between 9am and 10am, playing darts with staff and customers, as well as an open meet-and-greet with fans.
Charlotte Gibbons, part of the team at the family-run Little Tony's, and daughter of owner Paul Denby, said: "We're delighted to be chosen as one of the places he visits.
READ MORE: 'True giant' of rugby league inducted into Hall of Fame
"We're not a multi-national, we're a real family business - my dad's owned the place for 32 years, and we're all involved.
"We'll be having some games of darts with him - we've chosen four customers, who I think have played darts before.
"We've actually put up a darts board in the garage, and for the past week, the staff have been having a competition with each other to see who's the best.
"Anyone's welcome to come down and meet him aswell, and feel free to bring anything down you'd like James to sign."
At the end of the session, the winning customer will be presented with a signed dart board.
Wade's Justgiving page explains the reason for his eccentric odyssey.
"Having been diagnosed with bipolar and ADHD, I am fully aware of what it’s like to live with this condition and how challenging it can be," he wrote.
"The aim of the 501 Charity Rally is to raise awareness of the condition and the incredible work Bipolar UK does.
"I want to encourage understanding of bipolar because someone with the condition is 20 times more likely to take their own life than someone without it."
READ MORE: Woman who lost loved one to suicide organises support and awareness session
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here