Donations in memory of Masterchef marathon runner surpass £100k

Donations made in the memory of London marathon runner Matt Campbell have exceeded £100,000.

Campbell, a 2017 Masterchef semi-finalist, died on Sunday after collapsing shortly before the end of the London marathon race. He was running in memory of his late father and hoped to raise £2,500 for the Cumbria-based Brathay trust.

He collapsed at the 22.5 mile mark and died later on Sunday evening – the cause of which is still unknown. Thousands of people have now pledged to “finish” the race in Campbell’s honour, each donating an extra £5 to his cause via the Facebook page “Finish for Matt”.

Total donations to the cause have surpassed Campbell’s goal by more than 3,600% through more than 6,900 separate donors.

Campbell appeared on the BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals in December 2017, where he reached the semi-finals.

He began his career working in Michelin-starred restaurants after taking second place in the BBC’s Young Chef of the Year in 2009.

This year’s London Marathon was the hottest on records, with temperatures reaching 24C, according to the Met Office. However, participants were warned it could have been even hotter because of the heat absorbed by the roads and other competitors.

Despite the hot weather, 40,000 runners turned out to run the race.

The cause of Campbell’s death remains unknown, and will be established following the results of an autopsy.

    Share Story:

Recent Stories


Charity Times video Q&A: In conversation with Hilda Hayo, CEO of Dementia UK
Charity Times editor, Lauren Weymouth, is joined by Dementia UK CEO, Hilda Hayo to discuss why the charity receives such high workplace satisfaction results, what a positive working culture looks like and the importance of lived experience among staff. The pair talk about challenges facing the charity, the impact felt by the pandemic and how it's striving to overcome obstacles and continue to be a highly impactful organisation for anybody affected by dementia.
Charity Times Awards 2023

Mitigating risk and reducing claims
The cost-of-living crisis is impacting charities in a number of ways, including the risks they take. Endsleigh Insurance’s* senior risk management consultant Scott Crichton joins Charity Times to discuss the ramifications of prioritising certain types of risk over others, the financial implications risk can have if not managed properly, and tips for charities to help manage those risks.

* Coming soon… Howden, the new name for Endsleigh.