INSPIRATIONAL brain injury victim James Bastin has begun training for another challenge that will take him across the Scottish Highlands to help Oxford's homeless people.

When he was 19 the North Oxford man was hit by a taxi when crossing Woodstock Road outside Browns.

He was rushed to the John Radcliffe Hospital where he would undergo seven brain operations over five months.

Since then he has regained many brain functions, far surpassing the predictions of doctors, and has set about taking on extraordinary challenges to raise money for others.

For his latest expedition the 32-year-old has begun training for the seven-day 97-mile trek across the West Highland Way later this year.

He has decided, this time, to raise money for Oxford Homeless Pathways as he continues his ambition to help others.

He said: "While I'm focussing on my injury I want to help others and that's what I have been doing.

"It gives me a purpose.

"I always want to support people who need help and this time I have decided to raise money for homeless people."

"I have completed various fundraising challenges before this one including long walks in the Camino's and most recently an Olympic distance triathlon.

"This time I want to support and raise awareness for the unfortunate souls who are living on the streets of Oxford."

Before the accident, Mr Bastin, who grew up in Wolvercote, was a gifted speaker of foreign languages, played a number of sports and was talented on the guitar.

Despite his remarkable recovery he still has difficulty with everyday tasks such a cooking, cleaning and writing and is partially sighted.

In September he completed an Olympic-length triathlon – cycling 100 laps of Horspath Athletics Track , before running 10km to the Ferry Leisure Centre in Summertown where he swam 60 lengths – raising more than £2,000 for brain injury charity The Silverlining.

In 2015 he walked 100 miles of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in northern Spain for Maggie's Oxford Centre at the Churchill Hospital.

Mr Bastin said he didn't know whether his friends and family were proud of him but his support worker Johnathan Watson said he was being modest and that he was considered an inspiration to many.

Mr Watson said: "The feedback we get from James's mum Judy, people who support him and his friends is that they all find him absolutely inspirational.

"That's reflected by the amount of people who have supported him and the amount of money he has raised for good causes in recent years."

The pair will take on the Scottish highlands route with Mr Bastin's close friend Belinda McLean.

They will leave Milngavie, north of Glasgow, on June 5 and travel almost 100 miles further north to Fort William over the next seven days.

To support James and donate to Oxford Homeless Pathways go to justgiving.com/fundraising/James-Bastin2.