John Burkhill: ‘Man with a Pram’ thanks Sheffield for donations in final push for the ‘magic million’

At 83-years-old, John Burkhill is a local legend with his iconic green wig, giant foam hand, and pram which earnt him his nickname.

Through completing over 1,000 races and pushing his daughter’s pram along everywhere he goes, John has raised nearly £850,000 for the cancer support charity, and is asking for help reach his target of £1 million.

John said: “For 14 years we’ve been raising for Macmillan now, and to make that money is absolutely unbelievable. No matter how long it takes I shall do it.

“As long as I can put one foot in front of the other, I’m going to carry on doing this as much as I can, as long as I can.”

John was never a stranger to charity work and took part in walks and races for much of his life.

Everything changed when he lost his wife, June, to cancer and his daughter, Karen, due to complications in an operation a year later. He then made it his mission to raise as much money as he could for Macmillan Cancer Support.

He said he first set out to raise £250,000. Every time he reached his target he would attempt to raise even more, taking him to his current goal of the ‘magic million’.

He says he has been supported every step of the way by his home city and is grateful for all the people that have donated so far, no matter the amount.

He said: “I can’t thank them enough - anybody who donates anything to Macmillan through me, or other ways. It’s a fantastic thing to do and I really can’t put it into words.

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“If I go out all day and only get 10p in that bucket that’s 10p more than Macmillan had the day before, and if I look at it like that it works.”

He hopes to reach the magic million by Christmas and is urging people to donate whatever they can to raise the final £150,000.

John is also asking Sheffield businesses for their support, whether that be through hosting their own fundraising days, raising awareness, or donating to John’s fundraiser.

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He added: “I know it gets very emotional for me when so many people come up to me. A couple of kids came up to me not so long ago and they put some money in my bucket and said ‘you’ll save my grandad, won’t you? He used to make us laugh but he’s poorly now.’

“Their dad walked up to me, and he said that their grandad had terminal cancer. So that’s why I must go on. If I can help that kid think that I’m going to save him, then I will do.”

John also credits the Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United supporters for their help. He said: “Fans have been 100 per cent behind what I’ve been trying to do. We’re all united in this so I can’t thank them enough.”

You can donate to John’s fundraising page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/madwalker