'I'm just a bloke from West Brom': Blind Dave proud of movie screening

Blind Dave Heeley is humble as always, as he reacted to a cinema screening of his film, 7 Days, in his home town of West Bromwich, Sandwell.

7 Days is due to be launched shortly, after three years in the making, and the cinema screening was held to toast the upcoming launch.

Dozens packed into West Bromwich Odeon yesterday to watch the action.

The movie tells of Blind Dave's incredible feat, of completing seven marathons in seven days across seven continents, back in 2008.

The film also has flashbacks to Blind Dave's childhood and early adult years when he went blind.

Blind Dave said: "The screening went very well, those who were invited made the effort to turn up.

"I was saying to my wife Deb, this is incredible really. I am just a bloke from West Bromwich, who is having a film about him, shown in his home town of West Bromwich. This just doesn't happen."

Blind Dave is a fundraising hero who has completed some of the world's toughest endurance challenges over the past decade, despite being blind, and all of these have been in aid of charity.

His feats have included swimming in icy waters from the former rock-island prison of Alcatraz, in America, and a 160 mile run across the Sahara desert in Africa in sweltering conditions. He has also walked across the Great Wall of China.

Blind Dave has raised an incredible £3million so far.

And he has more challenges in the pipeline, including a 55-mile ultra-marathon called Comrades in South Africa later this year.

However, yesterday it was a time to reflect on his feats, as Blind Dave was joined by family and friends at West Bromwich's Odeon Cinema for the special one-off screening.

Among those in the audience was the film's producer, Nigel Davey. He is part of the team that has put together the movie alongside directors Dominic and Ian Higgins.

Nigel said: "Dave is an amazing man. I choose to produce this film, not because of what Dave has achieved, but because of who he is as a person.

"The film is about his challenge over seven days, and we follow the actors in the film doing that.

"We also have flashbacks to Dave's early life. He was diagnosed at 10-years-old and went blind at 20."

Blind Dave's condition has made his fundraising feats all the more inspirational. Alongside the gruelling feats already listed, there are more to reel off.

He has travelled between John O'Groats, Scotland, to Land's End, England, by running 10 marathons over 10 days. He also cycled between each stage.

And Blind Dave has run each of the 25 Great Run events across the country.

His film is being launched by the production company, Pixel Revolution Films, in the coming weeks, and it will also be made available on Amazon Prime.

Screenings of the film have previously taken place at The Hawthorns, the home of Blind Dave's football club West Bromwich Albion, and the Birmingham Rep.

Nigel added: "We'd like to express our thanks to West Bromwich Albion for their support."