Long and winding road for Fox

Damon Fox has probably walked the length and breadth of Bermuda more than a hundred times.

And every couple of months his island wanderings take him through the soles of his size 14 trainers.

But what is even more remarkable about this cheerful 37-year-old is that he is a familiar face to almost everyone on the island.

There can be few who have not seen him ambling contentedly on the roadside, seemingly without a care in the world.

But behind the child-like grin and distinctive hand motions lies a past interspersed with adversity and challenges.

Mr Fox told the Bermuda Sun: “I do 15 miles a day easy. And sometimes I go through two pairs of trainers in a month.

“I just get the feeling and I start walking. I cannot stop. I walk for days sometimes.

“I feel happy when I am out walking on the road.

“Some days I go to Somerset and then others I go all the way to St George’s.

“People see me on the road and say ‘hey walker’ and wave at me and
sometimes they offer me money. But I just like to walk.”

Mr Fox was brought up in Southampton and he attended Purvis Primary School before leaving school at 14 to begin work in the construction industry.

Since that time he has had his scrapes with the law and received treatment at what used to be called St Brendan’s Psychiatric Hospital.

But he says his life was changed forever in 1998 when he was arrested in Washington DC.

He added: “I went there on holiday and visited the White House one day.

“I asked a guard if I could sign my name on the wall and he told me I had three seconds to move away.

“I did not really understand what he was saying and before I knew what had happened I had been arrested. I was in prison for two weeks and I was beaten.

“Then I was in a halfway house for another two weeks before they apologised and said they would not be charging.

“I was in jail just for a mistake and it changed my life.”

Mr Fox has struggled to hold down a job despite brief spells working at landscaping firms and construction companies.

He now lives with his sister in Pembroke and has been unemployed for six years, which is one of the reasons he spends his days walking the island.

“Life has been real tough,” he says.

“I have tried to get jobs but it’s hard when you have been in trouble in the past and there are not many jobs around.

“I don’t want to be around those guys drinking so the best thing for me to do is just walk.”

For the last year Mr Fox has been a regular at the Loads of Love programme at Christ Church in Warwick.

He turns up every week with his washing and enjoys a breakfast and a shower.

He said: “I heard about it through the church and it has taught me that good is real. It makes me glad coming here and the people I have met down here make me feel very grateful.”

Pat Lang who runs the church initiative told the Bermuda Sun: “Damon is a delightful young man.

“Everyone loves him. He always turns up with a smile on his face.

“He has a tremendous appetite but I guess he burns off all the calories with all the walking he does.

“He is always cheery and has really opened up to us.”

The Loads of Love programme has helped provide Mr Fox with a steady supply of sneakers for when his walking takes its toll on his shoes.

Ms Lang added: “We have given him three pairs of sneakers so far.

“One of our volunteers took Damon to the store in Hamilton and bought him a brand new pair.

“And other volunteers have bought him back shoes from abroad.

“He is always very grateful and we are just happy to help him.”