04:34I go round up front and have my mascot out front.
04:39Jones.
04:40I call him Biggles.
04:41I dress him up as a pilot.
04:43He looks like Biggles, doesn't he?
04:44I said, we'll get round there.
04:45I'll carry on.
04:46He'll say, carry on.
04:47We'll get round.
04:48We'll be alright.
04:49And we done.
04:50Finished.
04:51Macmillan mean a lot to me.
04:53I mean a lot to hundreds and thousands of people.
04:57No matter who you are, what you are, it takes no prisoners.
05:01I think in a lot of ways, I don't know whether I agree to his move, but whatever.
05:08It takes a lot of cancer.
05:13Something I think we've all got.
05:15And something has set it off.
05:17And something sets it off.
05:18Like in my message's case, I think we are carrying dying.
05:22I think that's what set it off.
05:24But I don't think there's a family in this country that's not affected by it.
05:28Even poor old King Charles, he's got it now.
05:30I met him when he was Prince Charles.
05:33And no doubt I'll see him again sometime.
05:35Like, get some stick off his back.
05:37He also tried to get a wig on his ears once.
05:39He loved that.
05:40He loved that.
05:41He was a lovely bloke.
05:43And he'd take no prisoners.
05:45But Macmillan are there.
05:4724 hours a day.
05:48Did he?
05:49Did he?
05:50Did he?
05:51And that one pence, two pence.
05:53If you can afford it, do it.
05:55Do it no matter what.
05:57Because it all loves.
05:58It all loves.
05:59In 2023, John won the Pride of Britain Awards for ITV Fundraiser of the Year.
06:04The event was hosted by Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjoe to celebrate the achievements of truly remarkable people who make our world a better place.
06:12Yeah, I was unfounded when I found it.
06:15Because when they came to table, the fundraisers don't know until the night that they've won.
06:25They don't know.
06:26The rest of the people do.
06:27They know they've won.
06:28But I didn't know.
06:29I didn't know.
06:30I ain't got a clue.
06:31I ain't got a clue.
06:32But I had no inkling at all.
06:37I wouldn't.
06:38But I wouldn't go without my pram.
06:40I said, no problem.
06:41Because Anna and Abigail told you the same.
06:45I won't go anywhere without my pram.
06:47I am me.
06:48Mike Billen is the pram.
06:50And the pram's me.
06:51So I wouldn't go here at it.
06:53So Angela Rippon, absolutely brilliant.
06:58Absolutely brilliant when I realised I'd won.
07:02That Angela, what is his name?
07:05Ashley Banjo.
07:06Ashley Banjo.
07:07I think he'd come and tell me I'd won't like him.
07:10I thought he must have been a pal of George Foreman's to be quite honest with him.
07:14But I don't think he knew who George Foreman was anyway.
07:18Macmillan has been creating healing cancer environments with the NHS and other partners since 1976.
07:25And they're experts at what they do.
07:27One of its centres is based at Chesterfield Royal Hospital.
07:30Anyone affected by cancer can drop into the centre to meet the staff and volunteers who will help you find the information and support you need.
07:41So it was built and opened in 2017.
07:46And I have worked here since 2019.
07:49So I actually met John the first week that I started here.
07:54So he came to the second year's birthday party.
07:59So we are here for anybody that's affected by cancer.
08:02So it's not just the person with the diagnosis.
08:04It's for their loved ones, their carers.
08:08We get a lot of friends and family.
08:10We also get a lot of staff.
08:12So people in the hospital, you know, anybody can come and talk to us about anything to do with cancer.
08:18We've also got people that might be having treatment of their family might live elsewhere.
08:24They come to us and talk to us about anything really.
08:27So it might be pre-diagnosis.
08:29It might be, you know, sort of during the journey as well.
08:33Or it might be people that have been bereaved through cancer.
08:36Anything at all, we're here for them.
08:38Everybody knows John, the man with the pram, the crazy man with the pram.
08:43He has done amazing things for Macmillan.
08:46And I think, you know, I'm lucky enough to have read his book.
08:50And I think what the local people from the area, particular Sheffield and Yorkshire, you're humbled by what they have done for you.
09:01And it is quite incredible, John, isn't it?
09:04What the local people think of you.
09:08They all know you.
09:10My sister lives in Australia.
09:12And when I told her that I was meeting you today and doing some filming,
09:17because she used to live in Sheffield, and she went, oh gosh, yeah, she says, I know the man with the pram.
09:22So, you know, she's living in Australia and knows you, John.
09:26So, yeah, it's quite amazing really.
09:29But what, you know, I think through your sad story of, you know, what unfortunately happened with your daughter and your wife.
09:37You know, you've raised lots of money for a lot of charities, but you chose Macmillan
09:43and what you've done to sort of raise money for Macmillan, how much money you've raised for them.
09:48It's, you know, it is amazing.
09:51So, the money that John's raised helps.
09:55Obviously, it goes into the national pot for Macmillan, so it helps lots of people.
10:00But for us in the centre, it helps things like the free booklets that we give out to people.
10:06It also helps people in need, sort of financial needs, so people when they're needing a Macmillan grant.
10:12You know, in the cost of living crisis that we're all facing at the moment, it means that we can help lots of people.
10:19So that's, you know, it's really important.
10:22And we're so thankful, John, for everything that you do.
10:25I met John an awful lot of years ago.
10:27I used to work on the Macmillan mobile information units, the big green bus, Betty,
10:31that used to go around all of the East Midlands area.
10:34John came along to Sheffield to meet us over in Sheffield, and we were talking about all the wonderful work that he did then.
10:40So, to meet you again today, everything that you're still doing now is just absolutely wonderful.
10:47And the difference that you make as well.
10:49Yeah.
10:50But you're definitely a face for Macmillan and a real celebrity locally.
10:54I remember that much from then, not just now.
10:57I'm lucky enough to be that.
10:58It's as simple as that.
10:59I mean, to raise all that kind of money, everybody else is up.
11:05And people keep saying to me, you've raised all that.
11:08I haven't done it.
11:09We've done it together.
11:10Put it that way.
11:11It's the only way we can say it, really.
11:13I'm going to carry on as long as I can for Macmillan.
11:17As long as I can.
11:19While I can put one foot in front of the other.
11:22Get me two slices of red dripping in the morning.
11:25Put some WD-40 on my knees and away we go.
11:28But I don't recommend that WD-40.
11:30But it doesn't make my wheels squeak on the problem.
11:33It's not making my knees squeak, so I'm all right with it.
