He spent three years camping in his parents’ garden for charity, and the teen dubbed ‘tent boy’ revealed he’s now thinking of raising funds by pitching his canvas in sports stadiums.
Max Woosey, 13, from Braunton, Devon, raised £700,000 for the North Devon Hospice, which looked after his friend Rick Abbott, by sleeping in his parents’ garden every night from March 2020 to March 2023.
The remarkable charity effort earned him an invitation to King Charles’ Coronation in Westminster Abbey on May 6, alongside 849 other community and charity heroes from across the UK.
Speaking to Lorraine Kelly on her morning show today, Max, admitted he thought he would collect ‘£65’ when he started his challenge, but he went on to break the Guinness World Record for the biggest sum raised by camping.
The teen, who confessed he misses sleeping in the tent, is now looking to the future and reveals he now hopes to raise funds by camping out in rugby and premiership stadiums around the country.
Max Woosey, 13,from Braunton, Devon, raised £700,000 for the North Devon Hospice, which looked after his friend Rick Abbott, by sleeping in his parents’ gardens every night from March 2020 to March 2023
Max’s initial fundraising goal was £100, but he didn’t think he would reach that amount.
‘I thought I’d raise about £60 and that my mum and dad would have to top it up,’ he told Lorraine.
‘But somehow we managed to raise…’ with Lorraine completing his sentence saying: ‘Well over three quarters of a million.’
The show treated Max to a message of thanks from the team working at the hospice for which he had raised money.
‘Thank you Max. Thank you Max from us all here at North Devon Hospice. We can’t thank you enough for the hard work you did by sleeping in that,’ one of the team leaders said in the video message.
‘Thank you from all out patients and their relatives in the area. Thank you.’
Max said that sleeping in a tent for three years was not as easy as some people might think.
‘There have been quite a few nights where it has been horrible weather, but you know what, all the money was going to such a good cause, I had to keep on going,’ he added.
Lorraine listed as Max rtold her about her plans for the future, and as he admitted he misses sleeping in a tent
Max, who was invite to the King’s coronation for his charity efforts, is already thinking of his next charity challenge
He admitted it has been a struggle to sleep in a normal bed following his three-year-stint in the tent.
‘I miss the tent, I absolutely miss [the tent]. And of course, since I’m back in the house I can hear my parents snoring again, so I’m not getting the sleep I need,’ he joked.
‘I might have to move back on to the floor,’ he added.
And the 13-year-ol said he is already thinking of his next charity challenge.
‘I’ve been lucky enough to have been able to pitch my tent at a few rugby stadiums, so it would be amazing to get the opportunity to maybe camp out in all the premierships stadiums and try to rise money for their local hospices,’ he told Lorraine.
Max was invited to pitch his tent in the Downing Street garden by Boris Johnson in 2021, pictured
The teen would like to combine his love of rugby and the outdoors for his charity endeavours Pictured: Max in 2021
‘Or just do something with the two things I love most, rugby and the outdoors. That would be amazing to try and get organised.’
Max started his outdoor adventure on March 29th 2020 – at the height of the first Covid lockdown – when the then ten-year-old retreated into his back garden with a one-person tent to raise money for the North Devon Hospital which looked after his friend Rick Abbott.
Dubbed ‘The Boy in the Tent’, he’s slept under canvas ever since – Max spent three years camping his family home’s gardens to raise money for the North Devon Hospital, with the final tally reaching £700,000.
He eventually returned outdoors in late March of this year after breaking the Guinness World Record.
Max is only one of the charity heroes to have scored an invitation at King Charles Coronation.
The hospice Max raised money for sent him a thank you message which was shown on today’s Lorraine
King Charles has invited more than 850 community and charity heroes from across the UK to join his Coronation celebrations
Another is Sahil Usman, who despite battling leukaemia at the age of 15 still managed to create hampers and deliver them to elderly people in Blackburn during the pandemic.
The British Empire Medal recognises the achievement or contribution of service to the community in a local area, in the form of volunteering or charity work that has delivered real impact.
Many of the medal recipients attending the Coronation service were instrumental in their local communities during the Covid lockdowns.
The medal holders will get a seat in the Abbey itself on May 6, where there are just 2,000 places available. Peers of the realm have been loudly complaining about a lack of invitations compared with the 8,000 places available for Queen Elizabeth’s crowning in 1953.
But Buckingham Palace is adamant that, while respecting history and tradition, the pared-down ceremony should involve more of society’s good, rather than the great.
A further 400 young people representing charitable organisations nominated by the King, Queen Consort and Government are being given the opportunity to watch the Coronation procession and service from St Margaret’s Church, next to Westminster Abbey.
The organisations nominated have a long history of royal support – of the 400 young people, 200 have been involved with the Prince’s Trust, the Prince’s Foundation, Barnardo’s, the National Literacy Trust and Ebony Horse Club.
The other 200 are from the Scout Association, Girlguiding UK, St John Ambulance and the National Citizen Service. These four organisations are providing stewarding, route lining and first aid services on Coronation Day across London. Queen Elizabeth II was patron of the Scout Association, Girlguiding UK and Barnardo’s.
It is the first time that 12th-century St Margaret’s Church has been used to host young people at a coronation.
Grandfather John Anderson, 72, from Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, thought he was the victim of a scam after being told he was receiving a British Empire Medal.
He said: ‘I was on holiday with my family and it was a text message. ..My son-in-law, who’s a police officer, had a look at it and made a few calls and he said it was right enough.’ He added: ‘There’s a lot more higher up people than me, film stars, lords and ladies… to be asked is quite an honour.’
Early on in the pandemic, Mr Anderson helped set up a call centre where those who had Covid could arrange for a food parcel to be delivered to their homes. He also set up a community food pantry.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden, said: ‘The eyes of the world will be on the UK during the Coronation, and British Empire Medal recipients will be right at the heart of the ceremony.
These are people who have gone above and beyond for their local area, and who will now have the chance to represent those communities at a seminal moment in our history.’
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk