Darren Ryan, who is running the London Marathon in April for the 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 us 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.
A million views
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.
“It’s been a crazy few days, but I’m buzzing!”
“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 for good
“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…”
“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. A lot of people that run the marathon for charities have a family connection. I don’t actually have a family connection to Willen Hospice, but there is a connection because it’s a charity that is local to me and the teams there do great things. It’s about supporting local charities that struggle to get funding.
In good shape
“I’m feeling good for the marathon itself. I’ve been training for a while, and I’ve got a personal trainer that I go to as well. I wanted to make sure that I’m in good shape, physically, like my knees and other stuff that you’ve got to think about when you get to my age! I’m ready as I can be. I’m not stressing about times, to be honest. I’m not following an app. I’m just doing my own thing. I think on the day the whole atmosphere will get me through.
Making memories
“I had a run yesterday with Callum through London, and that was amazing – running past Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. I almost forgot I was running. I just took everything in, having this feeling that I would be doing it again in a few weeks. You do get a buzz from it.
“I’m sure Callum and I will start together but whether we finish together is another question! He’s obviously a lot younger than me, and he may have a time in his head, so I don’t want to hold him back. But the fact that we’re doing it together is a memory anyway. I’m excited by it.”
Currently, only 13.8% of our running costs are met by ongoing NHS funding, making us one of the most poorly funded hospices in the UK. This means we’re reliant on the determination of local supporters, like Darren and Callum, to help raise around £8.7 million each year, so our expert teams can continue caring for the community completely free of charge.
You can make a donation to Darren’s fundraising page at https://2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/darren-ryan
Follow Willen Hospice, Darren and Callum on Tik Tok to keep up to date on their fundraising journey to London 2025.
