‘Boy In The Tent’ Goes Indoors After Three-Year Charity Campout
Max began his campout in 2020 and has only spent a handful of nights inside since © Max Woosey
Teenager Max Woosey has spent the last three years sleeping in a tent that was gifted to him by family friend Rick Abbott, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
‘My friend Rick was absolutely amazing. Of course, that’s why I started it – because he loved the outdoors, he loved sports and we got along really well,’ Max told ITV’s Good Morning Britain. ‘He gave me the tent and said: Max, I want you to have an adventure in it. And I said: I promise you I will.’
Max began his campout in 2020, raising money for North Devon Hospice who cared for Rick and enabled him to live in his own home until he passed away.
‘North Devon hospice just took brilliant care of him and I wanted to say thank you in the biggest way I could. So I started sleeping outside and I tried to raise as much money as I could for them,’ said Max.
The Woosey’s family dog Digby has regularly kept Max company in his tent © Max Woosey
Max has directly funded 15 nurses for a whole year
Max’s efforts have earned him a British Empire Medal as well as Pride of Britain, Spirit of Adventure and Bear Grylls Chief Scout Unsung Hero awards, and in 2021 he was invited to pitch his tent in the garden of No 10 Downing Street and at Twickenham Stadium. In 2022, Max organised a mass campout, inviting the public to enjoy a night under the stars in their own garden, or to pitch a tent in their bedroom.
To celebrate the third anniversary of his campout this year, Max plans to hold a day festival and final campout at Broomhill Estate near his home, with all profits from the event going to North Devon Hospice.
Chief executive for the hospice Stephen Roberts told the BBC:
‘Max has directly funded 15 nurses for a whole year. 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.’
Over the last three years, Max has only come inside when ‘absolutely necessary’, braving heatwaves and storms and even remaining in his tent whilst unwell with Covid. The young fundraiser has only spent a handful of nights under a solid roof since his campout began, and after only two nights indoors on a family holiday to Madeira, Max took to sleeping on the balcony. Max said of returning to his bedroom:
‘I think it’s going to be weird the first few nights but I think it is time to come inside now. There are future adventures we are hoping can become possible but I’ve made the right call. It is going to be strange but I’m just going to have to get over it.’
Since he began his campout, Max has spent over 1,000 nights under the stars. Tickets for his final campout and festival event are now on sale, and Max’s fundraising page remains open for donations to the North Devon Hospice.
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