Royal Order
600 nights in a tent: 12-year-old permanent camper awarded by the Queen
Max Woosey in his tent
© Aaron Chown / empics / Picture Alliance
Max Woosey has been sleeping in the tent since the beginning of the corona pandemic – and has thus collected the gigantic donation of 680,000 euros. Now he is being honored by the British royal family.
At the beginning of the new year, the British royal family traditionally distributes royal honors in rows. As part of the “New Year Honors” in 2022, hundreds of people will receive medals and awards, including celebrities such as actor Daniel Craig, “Spice Girl” Mel B and ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Special attention is paid to a 12-year-old boy who was unknown two years ago and who is now also on the list. Max Woosey from the small western English coastal town of Braunton received the “British Empire Medal” – for a highly unusual campaign.
Since the beginning of the corona pandemic – and now for around 640 nights – Woosey has been sleeping continuously in a small tent to raise money for a good cause. And with great success: the boy has donated more than 570,000 British pounds (around 680,000 euros) so far. Woosey collects the money for the nearby hospice, where his former neighbor Rick Abott lived. Shortly before his death from cancer, the 74-year-old gave Max, who was ten at the time, a tent to go on an adventure, as reported by the BBC.
Spiders, ants and Boris Johnson
This adventure drew unexpected circles. The campaign became so well known that Woosey was also allowed to pitch his tent in prominent locations, such as the London Zoo and the garden at Number 10 Downing Street, where he had tea with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. With the donations collected, the hospice can now pay 20 nurses for a year.
Max is very happy about the royal medal. He never thought that he could “win an award with tents,” reports the BBC. And he wants to go on, “definitely up to the two-year mark” and preferably up to a donation total of one million pounds.
Long-term camping is not just fun. At times, Woosey had to share the tent with snails, spiders and worms – and also survive a nocturnal attack by red ants. His mother Rachel Woosey reports that she once had to organize a second tent because the first one was completely soaked. “We had to do that because he refused to come in. It was dark, it was raining, he just won’t give up.”
However, Max Woosey is not the youngest royal medalist among those who have now been awarded. Tobias Weller, who also received the British Empire Medal from the palace, is only eleven years old. The autistic sufferer from cerebral palsy has also drawn attention to himself with remarkable fundraising campaigns. Weller completed two marathons and one triathlon, raising £ 157,000 in donations for his school and a children’s hospital.
Sources: BBC / DPA / Honors List