John Burkhill: Legendary Sheffield fundraiser prepares for race 1,050 at 85 years old

John Burkhill has already raised more than £1.1m for Macmillan Cancer Support, having reached his ‘magic million’ target last May.

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But he is showing no signs of slowing down and has just signed up for his 1,050th race - the Sheffield 10K in September.

In just shy of a year since John reached his fundraising milestone, instead of swapping his trainers for his slippers he has continued to pound the streets day after day collecting money in his bucket - raising another £100,000 on his travels.

The Sheffield 10K will be a special one for John - affectionately known as ‘the man with the pram’ - and he wants as many people as possible to join him in either running or walking the route for Macmillan.

DONATE TO JOHN’S ONLINE FUNDRAISING PAGE HERE

The former racewalker originally set his sights on a £250,000 fundraising target back in 2007 but kept raising the bar and eventually set his sights on a ‘magic million’.

His efforts were recognised nationally when he was honoured with a prestigious ‘Pride of Britain’ Award last October.

All of John’s fundraising is in memory of his wife June, whom he lost to cancer, and their daughter, Karen, who died during a routine operation at 29.

The pram he pushes around the city and takes to his races was his daughter’s pram when she was a baby.

John declared soon after reaching his £1m target that he would ‘carry on no matter what’.

Commenting on his 1,050th race in Sheffield later in the year, John said: “Every race is special to me, but when I’m walking across my city it really is a different feeling. Everyone knows what this city means to me after I read my poem at the Pride of Britain Awards. So it would be great if people joined me in September.

“I visit a lot of schools and attend events with the Olympic torch and one thing I always tellpeople, particularly the kids, is that it doesn’t matter what you end up doing in life, as long asyou go and make a bit of a positive difference – that’s what matters.

“So it doesn’t matter how much you raise if you come and join me in the race, it’s about taking part and making a difference.”

Hannah Lumb, Macmillan’s Fundraising Manager, added: “It would be wonderful to see so many people come and join John for this race, which is extra special to him.

“It doesn’t matter if you come and walk the route, like John says, it’s just about taking part and making a difference to people living with and affected by cancer.

“Every penny counts and will help many of Macmillan’s direct services be there for people who need them most.”

There are a limited number of discounted places available by using the code JOHN at www.macmillan.org.uk/fundraise/charity-runs/run-for-all-sheffield-10k