Football stadium trek is grounds for a tribute to cousin

Paul Fulton will spend a month walking the route, and he hopes to raise a four-figure sum in memory of his cousin, Scott McClymont, who died earlier this year of bowel cancer at the age of 25.

The trek will begin at Wembley Stadium and will take in the grounds of the forthcoming football season's 20 English Premier League clubs, before culminating at Easter Road.

He said he wanted to turn a sad situation into a positive one by making money for the Bobby Moore Trust, which funds research into bowel cancer. "Scott wasn't a huge fan of football but I'm sure he would have said I was crazy to do this," said the 26-year-old, who is using his summer job as a postman to train for the walk.

"This is the charity his parents want to support.

"The whole thing was such a shock. He was young, about the same age as me, and perfectly healthy. I just wanted to do something for him and this is the result because his strength and bravery was really inspiring."

There were only 19 days between Scott, from Carrick Knowe, being told he had the disease and him passing away.

As a final tribute, the family ensured he was buried with his computer games controller, and he was praised for retaining his wit all through the tragic three weeks, despite the fear he must have been facing.

He was a first-class degree student at Heriot-Watt University, where he graduated in computer science, and had been working at WH Smith in Edinburgh Airport.

While his family are still devastated by his death, they are keen to generate money for research into the condition.

Mr Fulton, who lives in the Borders, who hopes to complete the solo mission within four weeks, will set off for London later this month. "It sounds like a lot but if you look at a map the grounds are spaced out quite nicely," he added.

"Many of them are in and around London, Birmingham and the north-west, and I've got a few contacts I can stay with along the way.

"It'll be just a rucksack job, and most of the route is by canal so I won't have to walk on too many roads.

"I only started fundraising the other day and I've already got to 100, so I've got a rough aim of 1000 by the end of it.

To donate, visit www.just giving.com/Paul-Fulton