Army veteran celebrates JustGiving Award win for homemade tin boat charity challenge 

Army veteran Michael Stanley, known as Major Mick, from Chichester, West Sussex, has been named as the Creative Fundraiser of the Year at this year’s GoCardless JustGiving Awards, after sailing 125-miles in a homemade tin boat to raise money for charity. 

 82 year old, Major Mick decided to raise funds for Children on the Edge - an organisation that works tirelessly to support Ukrainian children and families seeking refuge – after being deeply saddened by the on-going crisis in Ukraine. 

His determination to help those in need saw him don a Union Jack suit and tie to row more than 125 miles across lakes and rivers in Britain and raise more than £10,000 for the charity. His one-man tin boat was decorated in an array of British and Ukrainian flags, built from sheets of corrugated iron. 

Since 2020, the army veteran has rowed more than 350 miles in his one-man boat and has raised over £75,000 for various charities on JustGiving. This year he plans to take his tin boat back out on the water and continue his dedication to the cause by rowing another 100-miles for the charity.  

Mick was presented with his award by Strictly Come Dancing star, Neil Jones and Team GB Winter Olympian, broadcaster and sport and media personality, Aimee Fuller, last night (September 25th) at the Roundhouse in London. He said: 

“I feel very humble standing in front of you amongst so many worthy winners. I would like to thank all those who voted for me to receive this award and to those who have contributed to my fundraising over the past four years.  

“I have been called many names since I have been rowing my boat but the one, I like the best is when a dishevelled and grunting teenager calls me ‘cool’, for me this is the highest compliment I can be given.  

“Finally, I would like to thank St Wilfrid’s Hospice, Alzheimer’s Research UK and Children on the Edge, who have supported me in my fundraising. Thank you.” 

Television personality, Jamie Laing and radio host, Matt Edmondson hosted the eleventh year of the awards which saw seven winners as well as JustGiving’s Charity of the Year announced at the ceremony. Since JustGiving started in 2001, more than £6 billion has been raised for good causes in more than 180 countries.  

Matt Edmondson said “Getting to co-host the GoCardless JustGiving Awards with Jamie is like finding a double-word score in Scrabble—brilliant and rewarding! Tonight’s finalists have touched us deeply with their stories, and they’re all champions, as far as I’m concerned.” 

The finalists were selected from more than 13,000 nominations by a panel of judges including Radio DJ Rickie Haywood-Williams, actress Angela Griffin, longstanding fundraiser, famous for wearing a charity shop outfit every day for one year, Caroline Jones and President and General Manager of JustGiving, Pascale Harvie and put to a public vote to win. 

The award ceremony was attended by guests including Zoe Hardman, Bill Bailey, Ellie Simmonds, Rickie Haywood-Williams, Angela Griffin, Dean McCullough, Tillie Amartey, Neil Jones, Aimee Fuller and Faye Winter.  

Also in attendance was ultra-athlete, campaigner and TV personality, Josh Patterson who won a Special Recognition Award. 

The award recognises the outstanding contribution of an individual who has made a real impact on the world around them. 

For more than five-years Josh has been an avid fundraiser for the Samaritans and in his most recent ‘Run for 1 Million’ challenge Josh ran 76 marathons in 76 cities on consecutive days.   

Pascale Harvie, President and General Manager at JustGiving said: “Huge congratulations to the wonderful Major Mick for winning Creative Fundraiser of the Year. I, like many others, have been captivated by Mick’s Tintanic boat journey around the country. The dedication and creative effort he’s given for a cause he is so passionate about, is amazing. He really is one of a kind!    

“Celebrating the extraordinary accomplishments of Mick and our other fundraisers and charities at the GoCardless JustGiving Award Ceremony was amazing – they should all be so proud of what they’ve achieved and the impact that they’ve had.”    

Pat Phelan, MD of UK & Ireland and Chief Customer Officer at GoCardless added: ”I was blown away by the work Major Mick has done to raise more than £10,000 for Children on the Edge. It was an absolute privilege to recognise his achievement at the GoCardless JustGiving Awards Ceremony and I hope it inspires others to start or continue their fundraising journey.” 

To read more about all the winners please visit: https://blog.justgiving.com/2023-justgiving-awards-winners 

For more images visit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15EaxlZERGakGBfAZoC0aa2TiyfUaJTBw?usp=drive_link 

NOTES TO EDITOR

For further information contact  press@justgiving.com

*All figures quoted include GiftAid and are accurate at the time of releasing this press release.

Figures quoted relate to fundraising activity on JustGiving only. JustGiving is one of many fundraising platforms that people can choose from when fundraising for events such as the London Marathon.

About JustGiving
JustGiving is the world’s most trusted platform for online giving. We help people raise money for the charities and people they care about the most. In 2000, JustGiving.com began with one simple goal – to enable charities to receive donations online from anywhere in the world. Fast forward 22 years and over £5 billion has been raised for good causes in almost every single country in the world.

JustGiving became part of Blackbaud, the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good in 2017.

To note – JustGiving does not charge a fee on donations but instead operates a voluntary contribution model, meaning people donating can choose to leave a ‘tip’ if they wish. The only non-optional fee is a 1.9% + 30p to cover card payment charges.