Sheffield legend John Burkhill holds book signing as he looks to resume charity fundraising

John Burkhill visited Virgin Money on Fargate in Sheffield to sign copies of his book, further adding to his impressive fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Macmillan Cancer Support is Virgin Money's charity partner this year, so the team have been supporting John with his fundraising efforts to enable him to reach his ‘Magic Million for Macmillan.’

Vicky Travis of Virgin Money, Sheffield Branch, said: “Macmillan is our charity partner of the year, this year at Virgin Money so we’ve been in touch with John to support him with his fundraising.

“It’s fantastic to raise money for a really great cause. We’re so proud to be a part of it and support him and Macmillan this year.”

John’s book ‘Distance No Object: Sheffield’s Man With The Pram’, which first launched in 2016, tells his unique story in his own words.

All proceeds from the book sales are donated to Macmillan Cancer Support as part of John’s mission to raise £1 million for the charity.

John, from Handsworth, is known for raising a smile and a laugh with his hilarious outfits and warm personality, but his back story is a poignant one.

His daughter Karen died suddenly in 1991, and he later tragically lost his wife June to cancer – since then, he has raised thousands to support Macmillan.

John initially set a target of raising £250,000 for Macmillan, but in 2013, he reached this goal and then immediately set his sights on raising £1 million for the charity.

In 2019, John was given the Freedom of the City of Sheffield in recognition of his fundraising for Macmillan spanning four decades, while last year, he received a second British Empire Medal from the Queen.

Earlier this month, the 83-year-old was out in public for the first time since last March and was joined by cancer support charity Macmillan and Virgin Money for a walk around the city centre to raise vital funds.

For people that were not able to make it to the signing, you can purchase John’s book online at Amazon, and you can also donate to his fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/madwalker/