Macmillan boss describes legendary 'man with the pram' John Burkhill as a superhero as he tries to raise £1m

Lynda Thomas heaped praise on the 83-year-old, from Handsworth, who is desperately trying to raise £1 million for Macmillan as a thank you to the charity.

John started walking the streets and running marathons after the death of his wife June after she lost her cancer battle.

He pushes his late daughter Karen’s pram around the streets of Sheffield most days collecting donations while wearing his trademark green wig.

MORE: Sheffield’s ‘Man With A Pram’ John Burkhill awarded Freedom Of The City

This week The Star and Macmillan launched a campaign to help John reach his £1 million fundraising target.

Paying tribute to John, and describing how special he is to Macmillan, the charity’s Chief Executive said: “A sincere and heartfelt thanks to you John from everyone at Macmillan for doing whatever it takes for people living with cancer.

“At Macmillan, we give people with cancer everything we’ve got, and we will move mountains to help them to live life as fully as possible. We can’t do this without our generous supporters and we’re so thankful to everyone who donates their time or money to us.

“Every once in a while, a fundraiser comes along who will stop at absolutely nothing to raise money, some superheroes wear capes and some, well John, wears a green wig.

“John Burkhill, instantly recognisable in his green wig pushing his famous pram, has, against all odds, raised over £830,000 for Macmillan. Over the 15 years that John has fundraised for Macmillan, his amazing efforts will have supported countless people. What sets John apart is his stamina, his determination and dedication, he is

always out walking the streets of Sheffield in rain or shine.

“John has won numerous awards for his tireless fundraising and fills the people of Sheffield with enormous pride. From being awarded the ‘freedom of the city’ to a second bar for his BEM Medal, meeting the Queen to having his own Olympic torch among many others, John deserves every accolade that comes his way. However, he has always maintained that the most important person to him is the last person to drop a coin in his pram.

“Last year John’s powerful story was made into a film, “One in a Million”. The documentary film about his life showed John to be the generous, genuine and wonderful man that we all know and love.

“John has the immense privilege of chatting to people on his daily route, he hears about people’s loved ones with cancer, people share their hopes and fears with him.

“He knows how people are feeling because he’s been there, always mindful that he’s doing all this in memory of his wife June and daughter Karen. Like so many of us, John lives with heartache because of loved ones taken too soon.

“Times are tough right now, everyone is struggling with the effects of the cost of living crisis, imagine having a cancer diagnosis on top of this. The money that John collects week after week, by walking the streets of Sheffield and taking part in the many marathons and races, help us to provide people with Macmillan grants, needed now more than ever.

“These are a lifeline to help people living with cancer on low incomes. These one-off grants help with extra – often unexpected – needs including requiring more energy at home, as well as a drop in earnings if people are

less able to work.

“John is special, and I know the people of Sheffield are fiercely proud of him, just like everyone at Macmillan is. We will stop at nothing to help John reach his million-pound ambition and I know the people of Sheffield are behind this too.

“To raise over £830,000 is truly phenomenal and because of John many people can continue to receive the vital cancer care and support they need.

“We’re asking the people of Sheffield to give John that fundraising push to get him to his ‘Magic Million’ and ensure everyone gets Macmillan’s life-transforming support from day one.”