A teenager who has spent the last three years sleeping in a tent has raised more than £630,000 for charity.
Max Woosey, or 'The Boy in the Tent' as he’s known, was just 10-years-old when he decided to sleep out in his garden in March 2020.
The whole thing started when Max was gifted a tent by family friend and neighbour Rick Abbott and told to ‘go and have an adventure’.
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Sadly, Rick passed away due to cancer aged 74 - but his message to Max remained and, three years on, the teen has not only had a pretty bloody amazing adventure, he’s also raised a whopping £634,299 for North Devon Hospice, which helped care for Rick towards the end of his life.
Speaking to LADbible, Max said: “I was originally planning two weeks, three weeks, but then as soon as I got there, I thought ‘I’m going to do a month’. And then it got to lockdown and then it kind of became a way of life, effectively.”
You can say that again - fast forward a whopping three years (or 1,096 days, if you’d prefer) and Max is finally about to sleep in a real bed again for the first time.
As you can imagine, across those three years Max has seen more than his fair share of… shall we say temperamental British weather - from stifling heatwaves to 70mph winds.
“A few times I’ve said to myself, 'you're not giving up now you’re doing this and you’re sticking to it',” he said.
“I knew if I stopped I’d be angry with myself. I'd be livid. I knew that would be a horrible decision and I'd look back at it and think ‘well I've ruined that opportunity'.
“I thought [to myself] it’s all for a good cause and this is all going to such incredible people I need to keep on going, that's one of the biggest things that motivated me.”
During his three-year challenge, Max has been awarded all sorts of honours, from a British Empire Medal to the Bear Grylls Chief Scout Unsung Hero award, as well as a Pride of Britain award and a Guinness World Record. Oh and aged 12 he was even invited to do a TED Talk.
But it’s the money for North Devon Hospice that means the most to Max.
He said: “You look at people's heroes and it’s Messi and Ronaldo and Bear Grylls - and they’re all incredible people, but I think doctors, people in the NHS, people all around the world who are saving lives, and helping people; they're all heroes.
“The people at the hospice I just [can't] thank them enough for all the work that they do. They are absolutely incredible people. And deserve all the credit you can give them. They are true heroes.”
And you Max, I think it’s fair to say you’re a hero, too.
Proud mum Rachael added: “I made no bones about the fact that I didn’t particularly want him to start it and I said, ‘no’, but actually seeing this journey from this little 10-year-old to now... I just love the fact that he’s now got this confidence.
“I love the fact that he’s got a very definite sense of self and I think for a child to know that they’ve made a difference to people's lives and that they’ve done something off their own back, I think he’s really lucky.”
Chief Executive of North Devon Hospice Stephen Roberts confirmed that Max's camp-out challenge 'has directly funded 15 nurses for a whole year.'
He said: "In that time, those nurses will have supported in excess of 500 patients who were facing the impact of a life-limiting illness like cancer.”
As for the future, Max is already eyeing up new adventures - that may or not include sleeping outdoors.
“Not saying ‘no’ to things can make your life a whole lot more exciting,” he added. “If you say yes to things you can have a laugh and take on these new experiences.”
Max is set to camp out for the final time this Saturday (1 April) at a celebratory event attended by friends, family and dozens of others who wanted to come together to mark the incredible feat. The event, held at Broomhill Estate, will feature live music, street food and a bar, fireworks display and - of course - camping. It will also be attended by Ian Whyte, who played The Predator in Alien V Predator, and the real Predator costume.
The fundraiser is still live here - if you want to donate.
Topics: UK News
Claire Reid