Words by Smiley Team
Max Woosey, now known to many as ‘The Boy in the Tent’, has been camping in his garden for more than 500 nights for charity – smashing his initial goal of sleeping in the garden until lockdown restrictions were over.
11-year-old Max of Braunton, North Devon, began his sponsored camp-out at the start of the UK’s first lockdown in March 2020 because he knew that the family’s favourite charity, North Devon Hospice, would need support as all fundraising activity essentially stopped overnight.
Earlier in 2020, the hospice had helped care for Max’s neighbour and family friend, Rick Abbott. “Rick was a great guy and a real adventurer. He’d been everywhere in the world!” said Max. “Before he died he gave me his tent and told me to have an adventure with it, which is exactly what I’ve done. At the start of lockdown I said I would camp outside until it was over.
"I didn’t realise it would last as long as it did, but I’m so happy with the money that has been raised for the hospice, and the experiences I’ve had along the way have been awesome.”
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Max's kindness and determination has inspired people from across the globe to donate to his JustGiving page, raising more than £640,000 for North Devon Hospice so far.
“It felt amazing to reach 500 nights," said Max, when he achieved that milestone. "It didn't seem like it’d been that long because so many cool things have happened since I started camping outside. At the beginning I never ever thought that it would last this long, but I absolutely love it.”
While Max has had to battle with everything the British weather could throw at him – leaving him wet and cold on many a night – he has also had some once-in-a-lifetime experiences. There are the special fan mail letters he’s received from all over the world - some simply addressed to ‘The Boy in The Tent, Braunton, Devon’ – and the countless interviews with the world’s press.
Then there have been the videos of support from his heroes Jonny Wilkinson and Bear Grylls, and an invitation to pitch his tent next to the lion enclosure at London Zoo and in the garden of 10 Downing Street.
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Max’s mum, Rachael Woosey, said that the last year and a bit have been life-changing for the family. “It has been a whole other world," she said. "It started off as my little 10-year-old boy camping out in the garden for a few nights and hoping to raise £100 for the local hospice. None of us can really believe what has happened since.
"There have been so many exciting opportunities for Max along the way, like who would have thought he’d be doing a talk with Little Mix and their fans over Zoom? We’re so proud of how he has kept his feet on the ground and taken everything in his stride, because the attention at times would have been a lot to cope with."
After he reached the 500 night milestone, Max was certain he still wasn't ready to come back inside. “Nope! This is me, this is what I do now,” he said. “I really enjoy camping and I don’t have any intention of stopping just now. It’s great fun and I’m not going to come inside in the middle of the summer, because I love being outdoors and being closer to nature.
"And I’d love it if people wanted to keep donating to North Devon Hospice on my Just Giving page too.”
Jo Dedes, director of Care at North Devon Hospice, added: “Max is a genuine superstar, and the difference he has made this year is just incredible. This has been a worrying time for charities. It still is, because people rely on North Devon Hospice during the most difficult times, but we have had 18 months where fundraising activities have been ground to a halt."
To read more about Max's story and to donate, visit his Just Giving page.
