A 13-year-old boy who spent three years camping in his garden to raise money for a local hospice has set a Guinness World Record for the biggest sum raised by camping.
Max Woosey has raised £700,000 for the North Devon Hospice since he first pitched his tent in March 2020 with the aim of raising £100. He has not slept indoors since but will finally return to his bedroom after his final camp out tonight (Wednesday March 29). The public are invited to join him camping for Max’s Final Camp Out festival on Saturday night at Broomhill Estate in Devon.
His efforts allowed the hospice to provide 15 community nurses for an entire year, enough to help 500 patients get care in their own homes. Max’s adventure began at the start of the first lockdown when he was just 10 years old after his neighbour Rick Abbot gave him a tent with strict instructions to ‘have an adventure’.
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Mr Abbot was diagnosed with terminal cancer soon after and passed away in February 2020. Max’s family supported Rick in his final months and were in awe of the care he received at North Devon Hospice.
The youngster began his camping adventures to fulfil his promise to his friend and thank the hospice for the work they do. Max said: “The North Devon Hospice took such good care of him I wanted to do something to say thank you to them.
“I am so excited to have this Guinness World Records title, it is every boy’s dream. It is incredible to be part of this very special club. I have had the best three years of my life. There have been some struggles, but it has been an amazing experience and I have loved it from day one. I only set out to have an adventure and raise £100. I hope people see that children are capable of a lot more than people think.”
During his adventures the youngster has been a zookeeper for a night at ZSL London Zoo, camped in Twickenham stadium and shared a cup of tea with Boris Johnson. He has braved chilly winters and heatwaves, had to battle foxes, slugs, snails and even been chased by a pheasant.
Stephen Roberts, chief executive of North Devon Hospice, said: “Often, it’s only when people see our care first-hand that they truly understand how much it means. The Woosey family saw the level of care and support we were able to give Rick, to help him stay at home where he wanted to be, and to live his final days in comfort without pain. This sowed the seed of Max’s amazing adventure.”
The hospice said in a statement: “Amongst some other well-deserved accolades, Max is now a Guinness World Records title holder, and we could not be more proud. The boy who first pitched his tent in March 2020 has grown into a very impressive young man, who has helped to change the lives of so many.”
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