London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 08, 2026

106-Year-Old Fundraiser Gets The Prime Minister's Honour In UK

106-Year-Old Fundraiser Gets The Prime Minister's Honour In UK

Joan Willett walked 17 miles ahead of her 104th birthday to raise 60,000 pounds (roughly ₹ 6100,600) for the British Heart Foundation.
A British centenarian woman has demonstrated that age is no barrier to doing good charitable work. The 106-year-old Joan Willett, who overcame two heart attacks, is an amazing person for more reasons than just her astonishing age.

When most people would have chosen to relax and recuperate at this age and after experiencing significant health issues like cardiac arrest, Mrs Willett raised 60,000 pounds (roughly ₹ 6100,600) for those suffering from heart-related illnesses.

The Metro reported that Mrs Willett, a former teacher who had survived a heart attack in her 80s, used her second chance at life to help others and earn money for charity. She was motivated to use her everyday workout to support heart research after seeing Captain Tom on TV during the COVID-19 pandemic.

And now just ahead of her 107th birthday, she's received a Points of Light Award from the prime minister, given to ordinary people doing extraordinary things for their community.

According to the British Heart Foundation, Joan Willett won the nation's heart by walking more than 17 miles up and down a hill outside her Hastings care home during lockdown leading up to her 104th birthday, raising over 60,000 pounds (roughly ₹ 6100,600) for our lifesaving research in the process.

Dr. Charmaine Griffiths, our chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Joan is such an exceptional person. Her incredible fundraising for the BHF during the pandemic touched all of our hearts, and it's just wonderful to see her recognised by the Prime Minister and the Points of Light awards.

"Having been a heart patient herself, she knows just how important research is, and the 60,000 pounds she raised will fund more research to help countless others live long and fulfilling lives-just like Joan."

According to Mrs Willett, she underwent bypass surgery and had a heart valve replaced to help her live to 100 and beyond. She now wants to see others have the same opportunity.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Australian Crew Evacuates Seriously Ill American From Antarctica in Midwinter Darkness
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
Welsh First Minister Raises Independence With UK Prime Minister in First High-Level Call
UK Maintains Severe Terror Threat Level as Prevent Report Highlights Online Radicalization
YouGov Poll Shows Labour Favourability Improves as Reform UK and Greens Lose Ground
Brexit Campaigner Arron Banks Admits Hiring Private Investigator to Examine Journalist
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
July 2026 Was England and Wales’ Driest Month on Record, Met Office Says
UK Government Considers Public Inquiry Into Jeffrey Epstein’s UK Connections
Trump-Era Policy Shifts Test the Boundaries of U.S. Institutions
UK Drought Cuts Harvests and Raises Food-Security Fears
UFO: Pentagon Releases Video of Unidentified Object Tracked Over Middle East
US Health Secretary: “I’m Not Afraid of Germs — I Used to Snort Cocaine Off Toilet Seats”
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Trump Keeps Hegseth at Pentagon While Leaving Door Open for DeSantis
UK Clears Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery Deal, but US Trial Looms
UK Prosecutors Add 38 Charges Against Andrew and Tristan Tate
Taiwan’s President Joins Wartime Command Drill as China Pressure Grows
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mutual-Defence Pact
Government Orders Review of Prison Release Rules After Concerns Over Grooming Gang Offenders
Rail Disruption Continues Across North-West England Amid Infrastructure Problems and Engineering Closures
UK Tax Authority Proposes Broad Changes to Rules Governing Company Distributions
UK Government Moves to Protect Standing Areas Outside Pubs From Local Restrictions
Extreme Right-Wing Referrals Under UK Prevent Programme Rise 42 Percent
EU Citizens in UK Warned That Some Residency Rights May Have Been Granted in Error
Every Monitored Body of Water in England Fails Chemical Purity Standards, Government Data Shows
UK Scientists Create First Artificial Intelligence-Designed Viruses
England Orders Primary Schools to Identify Children at Risk of Becoming Disengaged From Education or Work
Government Moves to Close Prison Release Loophole Amid Concern Over Grooming Gang Offenders
UK Economy Shows Modest Growth Despite Energy Volatility and Global Supply Pressures
Police and Prosecutors Failed to Stop Sex Offender Who Later Murdered Two Women, Review Finds
Millions in England Face Longer Mental Health Waiting Times as NHS Providers Cut Spending
Met Office Warns of Heatwave as Temperatures Across England and Wales Could Reach 36 Degrees Celsius
HMRC’s 2029 Tax Shift Could Overlap Old and New Self-Assessment Bills
Thetford Disorder Prompts Expanded Police Powers Amid Asylum-Housing Protests
Cambridge Faces Calls for Independent Review of Jason Arday Appointment
Scotland’s ‘Cock of the North’ Woodland Is Being Felled After Wind Damage
Reform UK and Greens Unite Against Vast Solar Plans for Kent Marshland
New Zealand Draws Wealthy Americans With Revamped Investor Visa
Senate Panel Votes to Hold Anthony Fauci in Contempt After Fifth Amendment Testimony
Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Resigns as University Opens Inquiry Into His Credentials
Manchester Power Failure Disrupts Trains Across North West Into Friday
UK Fashion and Tourism Sectors Prepare for Strong Summer and Autumn Activity
London Residents Seek Appeal Against Approval for Chinese Super-Embassy Development
UK Environment Officials Issue Biosecurity Alert Over Rising Bluetongue Cases in Livestock
UK Charity Regulator Opens Investigations Into Donations Linked to Israeli Settlements
Gatwick Expansion and Chinese Embassy Plans Highlight Growing UK Infrastructure Disputes
UK Agriculture Authorities Warn of Rising Bluetongue Virus Cases Among Sheep Farms
×