Rocker's kindness to Norwegian stranger
Published 17 Sep 2009 07:00
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ROCKER Fish was so impressed when he heard about an ex-professional footballer's epic charity cycle to South Africa that he immediately phoned the stranger - travelling through a deserted Russian forest at the time - to offer him 'digs' when he reached Scotland.
Bjørn Heidenstrøm, 41, who played for Leyton Orient in the mid-1990s, has embarked on a year-long cycle from Oslo to South Africa to raise awareness of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
He also hopes to unite football fans from across the world by collecting signed football jerseys on his journey, and plans to sew them together to create the world's largest football shirt.
His ultimate goal is to fly the finished shirt as a symbol of the international 'football family' at the World Cup in South Africa next year.
Bjørn, who has financed his trip himself, arrived at Fish's home on the outskirts of Haddington last Thursday and stayed overnight before departing the next morning for Newcastle.
It was the first time that the two had met in person, after the former Marillion frontman phoned Bjørn in June to offer him a place to stay when he arrived in Scotland.
"I was travelling through this deserted forest in Russian and I didn't think I would be able to get any calls, but then my mobile rang and there was this voice on the other end saying 'Hi, this is Fish from Marillion'," explained Bjørn, who has already covered about 2,400km since beginning his incredible journey in the summer.
"It means a lot that he was willing to have me here and I'm extremely grateful to him."
Bjørn's already cycled solo through Norway, Sweden, Germany, Russia, and, among other countries, Lithuania.
Fish - real name Derek Dick - heard about Bjørn's journey from a mutual friend during a trip to Norway in June and said he immediately wanted to get involved.
He told the Courier: "I just completely empathized with what Bjørn is trying to achieve.
"It's a great cause and I really admire his determination not to become associated with logos and brands as it is so easy to become sucked in with those kind of deals."
The rocker also donated a signed Scotland shirt and Hibernian FC strip to Bjørn's campaign.
"East Lothian is a simply beautiful place," said Bjørn, who hopes to reach Cape Town by May and will visit 50 countries during his travels.
He urged county football clubs, of any division or rank, to send him strips.
Anyone interested in sending a shirt to Bjørn's campaign can mail it to: The Shirt, Haugenbakken 12B, 3475 Sætre, Norway. To catch up with Bjorn on his travels visit www.theshirt2010.net
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