Meet the 86-year-old Man With The Pram who raised over £1m for Macmillan Cancer Support

86-year-old John Burkhill, known as The Man With The Pram, has raised over £1 million for Macmillan Cancer Support. The local legend has taken part in more than 1,000 races in support of the charity, including London and New York marathons. In an exclusive Shots! TV documentary, we hear from the man himself and discover how one person has made such a difference. Watch Real Life Heroes: John Burkhill: The Million Pound Man to find out more.

John did his first Sheffield Star Walk in 1967 with no prior training. He finished an hour behind the winner of the race, and said he could barely walk. He then joined every other Sheffield Star Walk up until it ended in 2000. After finishing the last walk, he had completed the race 74 times, which adds up to 900 miles.

Before fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support, John had supported various charities including schools for children with special educational needs and disabilities. In 2007, he walked to Leeds in the Jane Tomlinson race. He then had the idea of getting permission to push his pram in the race, to raise more money. He said: “I set out to raise £250,000. I did it, and people said it was impossible.

“I thought, let's go a bit higher. So I went to £500,000. It seemed impossible but we kept going. And to reach a million quid, absolutely out of this world.”

In the episode, we see the emotional moment John received the news that he had reached his target of raising £1 million. We also hear what local residents think of his efforts.

One man said: “He’s everything to Sheffield, because everybody in Sheffield knows him. Whether it’s kids, adults, young, old, you know, he’s just a legend.”

Another woman said: “He’s so selfless, he gives his time to everybody, and he walks for miles, and I don’t know how he does it. I really don’t know how he does it.”

You can watch the full episode to hear John’s story. Go to Shots! TV or tune into Freeview channel 262 and Freely channel 565 for more gripping and heart-warming documentaries. Keep up with our latest episodes by signing up to Shots TV! Newsletter here.