Danny Wallace is alone. The former Saints star is moving through the streets of Deptford, in south-east London, on a grey, damp day, at the centre of a small crowd of family and friends.

Well-wishers passing by applaud him, shake his hand and drop a donation into a collection bucket.

However, none of them can carry a share of the pain and difficulty he feels as he makes his way slowly round the course of the London Marathon.

This is his marathon - and it is down to him to finish it, step by difficult step.

Eyes down, hands out for balance, he places each foot carefully on the ground.

Small things that the rest of us don't notice become major challenges - a high kerb, a cracked paving stone, a steep dropped kerb, all threaten to floor him.

Even his supporters, who play an important role in keeping his spirits up and giving him the motivation to push on to the next mile marker, can distract him.

There's a running joke in his entourage that his wife, Jenny, is his biggest obstacle: when Danny laughs at her frequent jokes he can lose his balance and fall over.

Danny set off with the other marathon entrants on Sunday morning but covering about four miles a day, he doesn't look likely to finish the course until Saturday.

Suffering from multiple sclerosis, which affects him down the right side of his body, Danny, once a great sportsman, is hampered by legs which quickly feel like lead and, he says, "don't want to work".

George Lawrence, Danny's lifelong best friend and a former team-mate at Southampton, drops back from his position at Danny's side to watch how his friend is walking.

"He's putting his feet down quite well now - you see how he's putting his heel down?" he says, sounding proud.

"Later, when he's tired, he'll be walking on the tips of his toes."

Danny stops for a break. Frequent 30-second pauses supplement the half-hour break which follows every hour of walking.

"He's learning now to take breaks," says George, throwing encouragement to Danny to rest for as long as he needs.

"We had three falls yesterday and one on Sunday. He loses his balance and goes over.

"He's a sportsman and he wants to rush on and do it but he's learning that he can't or he goes down."

Danny is stoic about his falls. "They don't hurt," he says.

"When I started training I was quite worried about it but I've learnt how to do it without hurting myself. The wind is bad - it makes me lose my balance. And it's difficult if the pavement is uneven. But I don't get nervous about falling anymore. I just say 'George, get me back up again!'"

When Danny was first diagnosed with MS 11 years ago he struggled to come to terms with the news.

Epic effort

It took him a long time to accept that he wouldn't be able to play football again, let alone that just a short walk would become an epic effort.

However, seeing brain-damaged ex-boxer Michael Watson complete the marathon in 2003 inspired Wallace to attempt the 26.2-mile circuit for himself.

"He gave me the courage. He's been through so much. I felt for him," says Danny, as we chat in a coach where he takes his breaks.

"I needed to do something that would give inspiration to other people with multiple sclerosis."

Danny also wants to give direct help to fellow MS sufferers. He is raising money for the Danny Wallace Foundation, which will give grants to people with the condition to buy the equipment and make

the alterations to their homes that they need to improve the quality of their lives.

Jenny Wallace explains that they want to be able to feel that the charity is making a direct difference to people's lives.

"We want to be able to see where the money's going and know that it's doing good."

Danny plans that the first grant awarded by the charity will be to someone in the city that he and his wife still think of as home - Southampton.

The donations are flowing in steadily as Danny makes his way along the course.

Two of his three children - Elisha and Thaila - as well as his nieces Kerry and Angela, his mum Joan, his wife and his press officer, Geraldine, jangle their buckets at passers-by.

A small group gives Danny a round of applause. One of the men shakes his hand saying "Well done mate. I saw you years ago - you were a great player."

The moment is both cheering and sad. It's nice to receive praise but no one wants to be spoken about in the past tense, particularly when they are in the middle of completing one of the most gruelling physical challenges of their life.

As the day wears on and Danny and his family become increasingly tired, the chatter that filled the morning air tails off.

His children and nieces disappear ahead of him and the group surrounding him is whittled down to his wife, his mother and George, who offers his friend advice and encouragement almost every step of the way.

Time to think

Wallace says that walking the marathon has given him a lot of time to think and his thoughts return frequently to his father, who passed away almost two years ago.

"It's a pity my old man died. He would have loved to have seen me doing this," he says sadly.

"But I know he's up there watching over me."

Danny's father would certainly have been proud of him and the

rest of his family are brimming with pride.

Danny himself is also pleased with his achievement and plans to continue doing high-profile activities to raise money for his charity.

He says that he doesn't plan to do anything as physically challenging as the London Marathon again, but almost immediately starts talking about attempting the New York Marathon.

However, before he starts thinking about the next challenge, Danny

has still got half of the current one to complete.

Ahead lies Tower Bridge, before circling the Canary Wharf estate and heading west to the finishing line at Buckingham Palace.

The look of effort and sheer determination on his face tells you that it will be his greatest achievement.

Perhaps rather than commenting on his football career Danny will soon have fans coming up to him and saying: "I saw you do the London Marathon - you are great."

To sponsor Danny Wallace visit www.dannywallacefoundation.co.uk or send a cheque made payable to Danny Wallace Foundation c/o Sally Churchward, Features Dept, Southern Daily Echo, Newspaper House, Test Lane, Redbridge, Southampton, SO16 9JX.