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Jun 2024
Harrogate man, 94, collects 94,000 stamps for charity
A Harrogate man has set out to donate 94,000 used postage stamps to charity for his 94th birthday.
Alan Barker, who will turn 94 on July 5, plans to make the donation to Macmillan Cancer Support in honour of his late wife and son-in-law.
Mr Barker lost his wife, Eileen, and his son-in-law, Christopher, to cancer just seven weeks apart and aims to give back to the charity whose nurses supported them in their final days.
Mr Barker has collected stamps from all over the world since he was a boy.
He recently read that used stamps can be donated to charities which then sell them by weight to raise funds.
Mr Barker said:
When I was a boy, I was an avid stamp collector and would go to the library to check the price of stamps, so this is good for me to focus on, I’ve got back into it and spend hours trimming the stamps.
Mr Barker already has six large bags of stamps and another six boxes ready to be sent to charity but he is still in need of more to hit his target before his birthday next month.
He said:
I don’t mind how many hours it takes or if it takes up all of my spare time, but I’d love to hit my target.
He added he had already received “wonderful” support from people who were giving him their used stamps.
He said:
It has been marvellous what people have done, one lady gave me 3,000 stamps one day and sometimes I just hear the letterbox go and find envelopes filled with stamps next to my door. Pannal Primary School have given me over 12,000 stamps too. It has been wonderful.
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