John Burkhill has been living in Richmond Park, Sheffield, for a long time, and has been known locally for decades as the ‘man with a pram’. Now, he’s known nationally, having recently won the Pride of Britain award for his exceptional fundraising work for various cancer charities.
John’s daughter, Karen, sadly passed away in 1991 aged just 29 following an operation. As if this wasn’t hard enough, his wife’s health soon deteriorated, and she died of cancer a year later. Losing both his daughter and his wife, June, was a horrendous thing to go through, but John had a deep appreciation for the support provided from Macmillan through his wife’s illness. It was because of that he decided to give something back. Having long been involved in races, his first being a local walking event in Sheffield in 1967, he soon started to fundraise for the charity through his races.
One way to stay connected to his daughter and wife whilst racing up the Sheffield hills was by pushing the pram he bought for his daughter back in 1961, which cost him £4.10 at the time. And when his fundraising manager eventually suggested he don a green wig for Macmillan, he soon became a very recognisable character around Sheffield. Speaking with John, he said he was proud to be ‘from the only city in England with a madman with a pram’ and prouder still to ‘be that man’.
Over the years, John has taken part in no less than 1,043 races up and down the country in his wig and with his pram in tow, raising money for Macmillan and other cancer charities, and also inspiring the film ‘One in a million’. In the run-up to the 2012 Olympics, he even held the Olympic torch, yet he was still humbled and surprised when his fundraising manager told him he was nominated for the Pride of Britain Award this year. Having already won the regional award, it was truly something else to be recognised and celebrated down in ‘the big smoke’ and to come to the national awards broadcast by ITV in London last month.
Even whilst at the awards, having been greeted by hosts Ashley Banjo and Carol Vorderman (also getting to meet Angela Rippon who described his achievements as ‘extraordinary’), John still did not expect to win. All the nominees, as far as John was concerned, were winners and it doesn’t matter how much you raise as long as you’re making a difference; as even if you raise just 10p for a cause, it’s ‘still 10p more than they had before’.
At the end of the day, as John said, there’s not a single family who has not been touched by cancer in some way – we’re all inspired by his dedication to do what he can to help those who suffer from it. Now aged 84, he is determined to carry on taking part in races and raising money for as long as he feels able to. His next race in December is the annual Percy Pud Race in Sheffield, which will reward all participants with a beanie hat and Christmas pudding at the finish line – and well deserved!
It was amazing to chat with John and Khalid Salah, his Neighbourhood Services Manager (both pictured), about his experience, and glad to hear him say that he ‘couldn’t say a bad word about Great Places’ – we’re truly proud to be his landlord.
