Karl 'The Shoe Man' Fitzpatrick wins ITV Channel's Pride of Britain fundraiser for 2024

• Watch the moment ITV Channel reporter Alex Spiceley surprised Karl in the gardens of Jersey Hospice.

Karl Fitzpatrick from Jersey has won the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain regional fundraiser of the year award.

Over the last 12 months, Karl has raised more than £6,000 for Jersey Hospice and he's made more than £18,000 for the charity since 2022.

With a little help from the staff at the hospice, ITV Channel's Alex Spiceley turned up to surprise Karl with the news that he'd won. He was under the impression he was there to meet a patient.

"This is shocking if I’m being honest. I wasn’t expecting it but really honoured, really proud and really happy to fly the flag for Jersey Hospice Care."

Karl started running in 2022 when the father of a close friend was cared for by the hospice team.

"I’m going to dedicate this to the Walters family, to Paul and Alan, and a few other friends who have passed here. I’m amazingly proud and very excited. I'm really shocked as well. Very shocked, thank you."

Karl has earned the nickname 'The Shoe Man' after he started jogging around the island in the hospice's mascot costume - a giant shoe.

He added: "All the miles and the work has paid off. I’ve got a couple of marathons coming up, I’ve got Berlin in 15 days time and Jersey in 20 days time. I ran yesterday in the shoe and I’ll run again tomorrow and Sunday."

When asked if Karl would be taking the costume to London for the awards, he was hopeful.

"If I can take the shoe, and get it on the flight, I’ll definitely be taking the shoe. I’ll need to do a little bit more research [about the event] if I’m being honest. I feel humbled to be selected but I didn’t think I was going to win."

Karl will head to awards ceremony in London next month where he'll meet the other regional finalists who are competing for the prize of national fundraiser of the year.

• Dame Mary Perkins explains why judging this year's nominee was a tough job.

This year's regional winner was selected by a panel of judges including Dame Mary Perkins, the founder of Specsavers. She said it was a difficult decision to choose from four worthy winners.

"Each one was unique and doing something different and working very hard in their own time. I’m amazed, at not the sums of money that they were raising, which were very generous but the effort they put into and the dedication.

"I think the winner stood out eventually because we had a lot of discussion on it and a lot of thinking. This wasn’t an instant decision. I think it was the effort that the person had done in order to raise money for worthy causes, including personal effort."

"The winner was this incredible man called Karl Fitzpatrick who just started doing small runs for charity, but believe it or not, he dresses as a massive shoe. And now he’s running marathons.

"It brings a little bit of fun to the occasion. It certainly works and he’s done very well. A well deserved winner.

"When reading about each nominee, each was an incredible person and it was very difficult to choose one winner so I think the Channel Islands should be very proud to have four winners, but we know we can only send one to London."

• ITV Channel's Jonathan Wills has been on many Pride of Britain panels over the years.

Also on the panel of judges were ITV Channel presenters Jessica Dunsdon and Jonathan Wills. Despite being asked to judge many Pride of Britain panels through the years, Jonathan says this one was particularly tough.

"All four of our finalists had so much to offer. From Rhona’s wonderful fish fingers, then of course we had Jason with his buckets raising all sorts of money from the bikers too. There was Bernie the fisherman, I mean how they got so many prizes together every single year and the money raised for that is absolutely wonderful.

"In the end it was the physical display of our boot man, Karl Fitzpatrick, which seemed to separate him a little bit. Just marginally from the others so that is why he is our winner."

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