Speedo Mick has hit his "dream" fundraising target of £1m while telling people to make sure they don't let anyone "stamp on their dreams".
Long-distance walker Michael Cullen, 58, announced to his fans on Instagram he had hit his "dream" fundraising target on £1m on Thursday, April 27. It came after he started a final 1,000-mile "epic stomp" with the hope of topping up his fundraising pot to the £1m mark.
For the past seven years, open water swimmer and Everton fan Mick has fundraised for causes close to his heart such as mental health and homelessness.
READ MORE: Live updates as police and fire service cordon off main road
In a video to his almost 60,000 Instagram followers, he said: "I've just been notified that we've reached the £1m mark. We have just raised £200,000 on this walk and that takes us to £1m over the last seven days.
"Listen, I just want to say thank you to each and every one [of you who] put a pound in the bucket, [or] put a note in my knickers. When I first started doing this I'd only raised a few thousand pound and somebody said to me 'look what is it you want to do here, what is the plan?'
"I said 'there isn't any plan, what I would like to do is raise £1m' and they looked at each other like that and said 'I know, but seriously, what do you want to do'. It's took me some time, it's took me seven years, but we have raised £1m man, we have got there.
"Don't let anybody stamp on your dreams, just keep going on, just keep walking on. I haven't done it on my own, it's you who has been putting the dough in the bucket, so thank you so much. Go on, £1m in my knickers!"
Mick has already announced this stomp will be his last as he wishes to pick up new projects, spend more time with loved ones - and get some well-deserved rest.
Super-fit Mick, who has twice been nominated for a Pride of Britain Award, first hit the headlines in 2014 by swimming the English Channel in just under 16 hours - despite being a novice swimmer.
He turned up to Everton’s next home game in a pair of blue Speedos with ‘Channel Swimmer’ written on his chest, and his famous look was born.
In 2017, the community hero, from Dovecot, walked 700 miles from Everton’s Goodison Park ground to the French city of Lyon, raising funds for Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. In 2019 he completed a 1,000-mile walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End and raised half a million pounds, far exceeding his initial target of £100,000.
Last year, he broke a personal record by covering 2,500 across the UK and Ireland over five months, giving £250,000 back to grassroots charities along the way.
This year, Mick wants to bring special attention to issues surrounding mental health as he worries the cost of living crisis will put many struggling people at risk - particularly over the winter months.
READ NEXT
'Don't say nothing' - How Paul Russell faced up to his crimes and did the right thing in the end
Woman falsely claimed £50,000 government loan and only paid back £1,000
Eight suspected dealers named after raids across city
Order your 48-page Eurovision souvenir guide from our online shop
