John Burkhill: Looking back at another year of fundraising by Sheffield's incredible Man with the Pram
It’s no joke to say the Man with the Pram is on his way to his second million.
It’s been another incredible year of unstoppable fundraising for Sheffield’s-own John Burkhill, the green-wigged man behind the Magic Million campaign.
A household name in the Steel City, John is the man who in May 2023 was formally recognised for singlehandedly raising £1m for Macmillan Cancer Support through decades of marathons, bucket rattles and weekly walks through the city centre.
He told The Star in 2023: "It's absolutely unbelievable, a great, great honour for me and everybody who has donated by putting 1p, 2p or 10p in that bucket. To raise a million quid - fantastic.
"It's absolutely wonderful, wonderful, to win something like this. I'm moved to tears, really."
Now 86, John’s 2024 saw him polish off his 1,050th race when he crossed the line at the Sheffield 10k, in his never ending quest to raise funds in memory of his wife and daughter.
But amazingly, the rate of donations pouring in for this superstar have only gone up since he achieved his dream last year.
Figures now show the Man with the Pram raised another £55,000 for cancer research in 2024 - bringing his total to £1,144,510 at the time of writing (December 20)
That’s equivalent to £150 every single day in 2024.
After reaching his goal in May 2023, for which he was handed the Pride of Britain Award, John’s friends told him he was already “on his way” to his second million.
John humbly brushed it off as a joke at the time. Now, though, it just seems prescient.
What’s for certain is John has repeatedly said he has no plans to hang up his running shoes and will keep fundraising for as long as he can.
Other highlights of his year include John being recognised at the Yorkshire Awards 2024 on the anniversary of hitting his £1m target.
He also received one of the greatest accolades of the modern age - having a gritter named after him in his beloved Steel City.
Sheffield City Council’s new fleet unveiled in November were christened by local schools. Hitting the roads this winter are the likes of Gritchard Thawley, Jessica Ennis-Chill - and, leading the way, Burkhill’s Blizzard Buster.
Now, John is preparing for his annual Christmas Day walk from Chesterfield Royal to Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital.
Amy Hebdon, Macmillan Relationship Fundraising Manager, said: “We are grateful to the people of Sheffield who have taken John, our pram man, into their hearts and donated money to help hit this amazing total.
“This year alone the funds he has raised are enough to help the cancer information and support nurses on the Macmillan Support Line respond to over 2,700 enquiries from people who need their questions about cancer answered or practical or financial support. In total, John's fundraising of more than £1 million is enough to fund 16 Macmillan clinical nurse specialist posts for an entire year.
“We are so proud and grateful for everything John has achieved and hope he’ll take some time over Christmas to put his feet up before he’s back out with his pram in 2025 helping to support more people with cancer.”