The three-year camping campaign of the juvenile charity fundraising known as “The Boy in the Tent” has come to an end.
On April 1, Braunton, Devon native Max Woosey will spend his last night sleeping outside, and a festival will be held to honor the occasion.
Throughout an experience that started in March 2020 when he was just 10 years old, he has faced fierce storms, extreme cold, and scorching heat.
Following the hospice’s treatment of his neighbor, Rick Abbott, Max, now 13 years old, began camping in an effort to raise £100 for the organization.
Since then, he has spent more than 1,000 nights under canvas and raised more than £700,000 – a feat which has led to a host of awards.
In the last three years, Max has received a Pride of Britain Spirit of Adventure Award and the Chief Scout Unsung Hero Award from Bear Grylls.
In May 2022, he was also awarded the British Empire Medal and he has recently given a TedX talk.
But the teenager has finally decided it’s time to start sleeping indoors again.
Max said: ‘I’ve had the most amazing three years and had some brilliant experiences but I think it’s time for the next challenge now. I still love camping but it won’t be every night now.’
On January 21, Max put a message on his social media accounts, ‘looking for somewhere really cool to camp’ to mark three years of sleeping out – and to celebrate the end of his adventure.
Offers flooded in from all over the UK and abroad. But in the end, it was Broomhill Estate sculpture garden and hotel near Barnstaple, just a few miles from Max’s home, that got the thumbs-up.
The Broomhill Estate will host a mini-festival to celebrate Max’s achievement on April 1 featuring ‘an amazing showcase of music and the magic of Hollywood.’
Max said: ‘It was amazing that so many people got in touch from all over the UK wanting to mark this, but I wanted to stay close to home and celebrate with friends and family nearby.
‘We are going to camp out in the grounds amongst the sculptures and have a big party. There’s going to be bands and live music, fireworks and food, special guests, axe-throwing, and really cool movie memorabilia. It’s going to be epic!’
The festival will include a main stage, headlined by Declan Welsh and The Decadent West, plus an acoustic stage.
There will also be an exhibition of never-before-seen movie memorabilia.
This will include an ‘Alien v Predator’ showdown with life-size props and items from movies such as Jumanji and Highlander. There will also be a guest appearance from actor Ian Whyte.
Stephen Roberts, chief executive of North Devon Hospice, said: ‘This is a perfect way for Max to finish his fundraising challenge, which has been such an adventure and something he can look back on with so much pride.
‘The funds he raised for North Devon Hospice in this time have made a real difference to the patients and families we support. 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.’
Max admitted he had ‘mixed emotions’ about ending his reign as ‘tent boy’, adding: ‘I’m not really looking forward to it, I just think it’s time. I will always love being outside and camping, it’s just who I am.’
He said his best moment was the Pride Of Britain award because he got to share it with his whole family and the worst moment was ‘when my tent collapsed and everything got soaked.’