'He made time to speak to us' - Darts ace James Wade makes good impression during charity visit to Bonnybridge garage

Having been set the challenge of driving 501 miles in a Ford Focus car purchased for £501, Wade - nicknamed The Machine for his obsession with all things mechanical - tried to clock up the 501 miles from September 27 to 29.

WH Tyres was one of nine dealerships Wade stopped at which are running promotions and incentives offering customers the opportunity to make donations to support Bipolar UK.

And the Bonnybridge-based business’s manager Paul Hughes revealed that Wade played one leg of darts against up to 15 keen local amateur players during Tuesday’s visit between 3.45pm and 5.30pm.

“James was a really nice guy who found the time to speak to us,” Hughes said.

"The guys playing him all brought their own darts in special cases. They were taking it really seriously and it was a really good event.

"One guy beat James and won a bottle of whisky.

"James said he’d been to about 20 garages in the past week or so and our garage was by far the smartest one he’d been to.”

Wade said: "As someone who has been diagnosed with bipolar and ADHD I am fully aware of how challenging this can be and the aim is for the rally to raise awareness of the condition and the incredible work Bipolar UK do.”

Wade is due to cross the finishing line today (Thursday) at Bipolar UK’s head office near King’s Cross.