Miles for Men
1696. Michael Day
Michael Day, from Hartlepool, is the founder of charity 'Miles for Men', which is dedicated to raising funds for those affected by cancer both within the local community and nationally and has raised over £500,000 since 2012.
Michael started the appeal in memory of his father Michael Day Senior, who died from throat cancer aged 67 in 2007, by hosting a sponsored 5k run in Hartlepool which has since become an annual fixture. In 2018, Michael also tragically lost his 21-year-old daughter Demi to brain cancer and has now expanded his charitable work to support terminally ill young people. The charity has also given food donations during lockdown and supported people with cancer and patients in hospices, and in 2020 launched a further new charitable brand, ‘Minds for Men’ and ‘Wellness for Women’ to address a rise in mental health issues.
In a personal letter to Michael, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“Every day I write to someone recognising them as a Point of Light for their extraordinary service to others. Today I want to thank you for your incredible devotion to supporting cancer and hospice patients over the past nine years through ‘Miles for Men’.
“I was particularly moved to learn of your personal inspiration to raise more than half a million pounds following the terrible loss of both your father Michael and your daughter Demi to cancer. The support you have been able to give to others is a powerful tribute to them both.”
Jill Mortimer, MP for Hartlepool, said:
“I pay tribute to the wonderful work Michael has done over the years, not only to raise such an impressive amount of money in support of people with cancer, but also to widen his scope to raise awareness of mental health issues through ‘Minds for Men’ and ‘Wellness for Women’.”
Michael said:
“I would personally like to thank the Prime Minister’s Office for the recognition of this award, we at ‘Miles for Men’ pride ourselves in working as part of a team to help and support our local community! The community and local businesses show us amazing support and without them we couldn’t do what we do to make a difference together.”
Picture credit: Christopher Lomond (The Guardian)