THE movies come from a galaxy far, far away – but a Star Wars fanatic is making his huge memorabilia collection available closer to home.

Dave Oldbury first fell for the galactic stories in 1977 and pestered his mum to take him to the film in Southampton.

His mother hoped it would be the end of his fascination with the films but it turned out to be just the start, and he has spent hours tracking down thousands of cast and crew signatures.

And now he is opening his shrine full of figurines, tattoos, posters, and other merchandise to allow fellow fans to stay at his home.

Although Sholing resident Dave, 46, admits he has spent thousands of pounds and hours on his obsession he insists he isn’t interested in the financial side of his possessions.

Autographs are his passion and he has almost 9,000 cast and crew signatures, some of which are from people he had to track down in hidden rural cabins.

He said: “What I like about it is that nobody cares about what you do for a living – it’s about what you bring to the table as a collector in the group.

“You’re always looking for a collector exclusive and for that guy who never signed anything.

“I found a guy on the border of Norfolk and Suffolk and he was the original Obi-Wan. It’s a labour of love.”

Dave has signed up for Homestay, which gives people the chance to make friends with like-minded people.

But it will take a truly dedicated Star Wars follower to surpass Dave, who has tattoos of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader on his body.

Although many other super fans are wary about Star Wars films not in the original trilogy, Dave has tickets for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Southampton.

He said: “A lot of people hate the new ones but I wasn’t as mad. They have got JJ Abrams, he’s one of the kids who grew up with it, and he’s banned a lot of CGI scenes.”

Over the years Dave has met thousands of crew and cast members and is keen to share his stories and insights with fellow fans.

He is offering up the Solo Suite for lucky film-lovers to stay in and is looking forward to meeting fellow fans.

Alan Clarke, chief executive at Homestay.com, said: “Homestays are a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests and learn more about the place you’re visiting at the same time.

“We’re delighted to offer the opportunity to access some of the rarest memorabilia and stay with the ultimate superfan.”