Chichester's Major Mick shortlisted for fundraising award

Major Mick Stanley embarked on a year of rowing adventures in a homemade tin boat, the Tintanic II, raising more than £10,000 for Chichester-based charity Children on the Edge to support hundreds of Ukrainian refugee families.

The retired army major rowed across various locations throughout the UK, including numerous canals and rivers in Sussex.

He also met some famous faces along the way, including King Charles and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as well as an appearance on BBC’s Countryfile.

His adventurous spirit captured the hearts of many, attracting thousands of pounds in donations to support his challenge.

One year on from his feat, he has beaten 14,000 other fundraisers to secure a spot as one of 21 finalists for this year’s JustGiving Fundraising Awards.

Major Mick and his homemade boat, Tintanic II (Image: JustGiving)

Major Mick, from Chichester, has been nominated for the title of Creative Fundraiser of the Year for his unique fundraising efforts.

He said: “I am obviously very pleased to be nominated. I have had an enormous amount of fun.

“It’s been a great adventure from start to finish with meeting the King at the Jubilee celebrations and Boris Johnson in Downing Street was great fun and the King was very charming and very supportive.”

A public vote will determine the winners for each of the eight categories.

Annie Whillians from Children on the Edge said: “We are delighted that Major Mick’s incredible fundraising efforts have been recognised by JustGiving.

“We have been blown away by his energy and dedication to his rowing challenge - we hope that the public will agree and will vote for him to win Creative Fundraiser of the Year.”

Voting is open until August 25, with the winners unveiled in an awards ceremony next month.

People can pick their winners in each category at page.justgiving.com/awardsvoting2023.