Tent boy Max Woosey raises 'insane' £680,000, says hospice

A hospice has received nearly £680,000 from the efforts of 12-year-old Max Woosey, who has slept out in a tent for 599 nights.

Monday night will be Max's 600th night sleeping outside, which he will complete in the garden of his home in Braunton, Devon.

North Devon Hospice said the money equated to almost 20 nurses working for 12 months.

Max's father, Mark, said the family was "blown away" by the amount raised.

The £567,000 raised on his fundraising page topped up with £112,000 Gift Aid tax, has been "insane", said North Devon Hospice.

Max started camping out when he was 10 in March 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the UK.

At the same time North Devon Hospice was facing a £1m drop in funding because of the lockdown, said the hospice's communications officer Leo Cooper.

"I cannot over-emphasise how important his fundraising has been," he said.

"At lockdown we were looking at the prospect of losing £1m, that adds up to a whole lot of care that we cannot provide and it was needed, especially during the lockdown.

"Max's fundraising equates to almost 20 nurses for the whole year, so that gives you an idea of the scale."

Max was inspired to raise money for the hospice by the care that it gave to neighbour Rick Abbott.

The 74-year-old gave Max a tent and told him to "promise me you'll have an adventure in here", before dying from cancer.

Max's father Mark said: "As a family we have been blown away that he has been able to help the hospice.

"The work that they do is amazing."

Max's fundraising was marked at the Pride of Britain awards when he won the Spirit of Adventure award.

Mr Woosey said it had been "a joy" to see his son mature and grow with the experience of his fundraising.

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