John Burkhill Sheffield: Looking back on a magical year for the Steel City's legendary fundraiser

Time Magazine named Taylor Swift its Person of the Year for 2023. The Star feels it would be unopposed if it named Sheffield’s Person of the Year as John Burkhill.

In May 2023, the Legendary 84-year-old fundraiser achieved his 15-year dream of raising £1,000,000 for Macmillian Cancer Research through bucket rattling, tirelessly running marathons and pounding the streets of the Steel City with his iconic pram.

He was honoured with the Pride of Britain award at a star-studded ceremony in October, and countless people in Sheffield have called for him to be knighted.

2023 was his year, and The Star would like to take a moment to reflect on all his accomplishments.

Who is Sheffield’s John Burkhill, the Man with the Pram?

John Burkhill is an icon around Sheffield who can be seen week after week in the city centre pushing his decorated pram and dressed in an unmissable green wig.

He was already an avid marathon runner from as early as 1982. But the Man with the Pram began fundraising in earnest 16 years ago in memory of losing his wife June to cancer in 1991, a year to the day after the unexpected death of their daughter Karen. He has been a champion of Macmillan Cancer Research ever since.

The pram itself is the very same one John bought for Karen in 1961. He says that having it with him, along with June’s teddy bear on the front, "makes it feel like they are still there" with him.

He set out with a goal of £250,000 through marathons and collecting donations from his fans wherever he went in Sheffield, all the while making time to talk to wellwishers in the street and being a stand-up citizen.

He passed the £150,000 mark in 2013, which itself earned him a British Empire Medal (and he would earn an incredibly rare second medal in 2020).

After that he set his eyes on the biggest goal in sight - raising £1,000,000, however long it took.

Year after year, fans have been encouraging him on his way, with The Star frequently publishing updates on how much was left to go.

In 2022, that figure reached £750,000. It was only a matter of time.

John’s Magical 2023

2023 went on as it ever did for John - with marathons, walks around town and never stopping to reach his goal.

In January, 2023, John attended Westminster Palace to receive a 'British Citizens Award' for services to charitable giving – meaning John's full title was now John Burkhill BEM Bar, BCAv.

And then, finally, the call came in on May 25.

After 16 years and 1,038 races, John wept tears of joy as he opened a letter at home from Macmillan saying he had done it.

He said at the time: "I’m honestly lost for words. I’m truly humbled by it all and blown away. People have said I’m a 'hero' and 'legend', but those people who have put money in the bucket and donated, they are the heroes.

"I can’t thank everyone enough for their support. They all might think I’m a bit daft, in the nicest possible way, but they got right behind what I’m trying to do for those affected by cancer.

"It seemed an impossible dream with an old pram, and a crazy thing for an old man to do, but we’ve done it."

He was the star of Sheffield for weeks. He, of course, didn’t stop fundraising or collecting funds, and was cheered on by more donations in the weeks to come as residents celebrated his achievements. Who knows? They might have been the first pounds in the bucket for his second million.

On August 17, the Steel City toasted their hero with a celebration event in the Winter Garden, where hundreds of people gathered to see him get the formal congratulations he deserved.

He told his fans: "People at Macmillan, they say to me, 'well done John, you've done a million', and I say 'it's not me. It's you that's done it, everybody. Everybody who comes past me and puts whatever they can afford in that bucket'.

"Now we've hit one million, we’ll go for another one. Why not? It's there," he said, gesturing at the pram. "We might not do it. But we’re going to have a go anyway. That’s a wonderful thing."

In September, John even turned down a chance to receive an award from the Prime Minister in person at the Points of Light Award ceremony - because he already had plans to do some collecting on The Moor. He didn't want to let his regulars down. He also won ITV Calendar North’s Fundraiser of the Year award, 

Then, on October 12, John picked up the title we already knew he deserved, when he was given the Pride of Britain Award at a star-studded ceremony in London. 

One wellwisher online remarked he "stole the show" and his appearance on national television introduced him to millions of viewers across the country.

He had the audience in stitches when he joked that he used to be 6ft 6ins tall when he first started pounding the streets for charity.

And he joked that as well as his bread and dripping for breakfast each day, he needs WD40 for his knees.

In a moving moment, he read out a poem explaining how much he loves the Steel City, which he ended with the words "My Sheffield, my home," with people in the audience on their feet for him as they applauded the selfless and humble OAP.

It will surprise no one to know John has shown no signs of stopping.

John - whose fundraising page is currently standing at £1,074,500 - will celebrate his 85th birthday this January.

He is the Pride of Britain, the pride of Sheffield, and 2023 was his year.