Global TikTok community unites to support local dad’s marathon for Willen Hospice

Darren Ryan, who is running the London Marathon in April for Willen Hospice, was shocked to see his fundraising total skyrocket from £620 to more than £10,000 in 24 hours this week, thanks to the power of TikTok.

Darren, 56, and his son, Callum, 24, who live in Great Brickhill, are both taking on their first-ever marathon to support the Hospice and have been training since last summer. With his creative skills, Darren designed a t-shirt with a QR code for his fundraising page on the back, so he could wear this on runs around the village. On Wednesday, Darren’s son Olly posted a video on TikTok of his dad out training and the donations started to roll in from around the world.

The video has had over a million views. More than 1,400 people from Australia, Germany, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Ireland, the UK and more have contributed and left messages of support for Darren, including palliative care nurses and people living along the London Marathon route. This wave of support for a ‘TikTok dad’ has helped Darren smash his original fundraising target of £2,500.

“The video was a surprise!” says Darren. “When I ran out of the house on that frosty morning, Olly filmed it from the window without me even knowing. So none of it was set up. It’s been a crazy few days, but I’m buzzing and it’s all for a good cause.

“Social media gets such a bashing. This sheds a different light on it. Honestly, it’s been very emotional seeing some of the comments on the donation page, and I’m trying my best – while doing my day job – to respond to every single one. As you can imagine, that’s quite challenging. But I should do that, because those people have taken time out to donate to someone they don’t even know.

“The most heartwarming story was a woman who said that if it had been a day earlier she’d have been able to donate more money, but she’d just had a vet’s bill and she only had a pound left until she got paid on payday, so she gave me that pound. That really got to me. This is what people are really like. We hear about all the bad news every day. You watch TV and it’s all doom and gloom. This just sheds a bit of light on the fact that there is some love out there.

“I’m running the marathon for Willen Hospice, but now I’m running for everyone who’s donated too, and that’s going to drive me.”

Currently, only 13.8% of Willen Hospice’s running costs are met by ongoing NHS funding, making it one of the most poorly funded hospices in the UK. This means the charity is reliant on the generosity of local supporters, like Darren and Callum, to help raise around £8.7 million each year, so the Hospice’s specialist teams can continue caring for the community completely free of charge.

You can find out more about Darren’s challenge at https://2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/darren-ryan and more about Willen Hospice at www.willen-hospice.org.uk.