War veteran continues fundraising effort from his hospital bed

William Knibbs, 93, has been raising money for RAFA for the best part of 30 years.

Mr Knibbs was in the Royal Air Force during the war and remembers standing in Worthing during the Battle of Britain.

When he was 18, he signed up to the war effort and retired at the age of 65.

For the past 28 years, Mr Knibbs has been fundraising for RAFA in Montague Street in his beret, wearing his medals and shaking his tin.

However, this year he has had to raise money from his hospital bed after being diagnosed with cancer.

His daughter, Wendi Knibbs, 39, decided to set up a JustGiving page for her father to help him continuing his efforts.

She said: “For a proud man, being laid up in hospital unable to support an organisation he is passionate about, he was frustrated not to be marching Montague Street.

“He is hard core when it comes to fundraising as he used to stand out in the wind and rain.”

Mr Knibbs set his target at £177 – the same amount that he raised last year.

However, he has managed to exceed that target as he currently raised £255 this year.

Ms Knibbs added: “My dad is a bit overwhelmed by the amount of support he has received.

“He doesn’t really understand how the donation page works and so many of the donations have been made anonymously so we don’t even know who to thank.

“I put a post up on Facebook which got shared six times beyond just my friends.

“We have received a lot of feedback and we are going to leave the JustGiving page up for a little while longer in the hope that we can raise even more money.

“He usually helps to raise money at the parade on Remembrance Sunday. Here’s hoping he will be well enough to be out this year.”

All funds raised go to the benefit of ex RAF personnel and their families.

If you would like to donate to Mr Knibbs’ fundraising attempt, you can do so via Wendi Knibbs’ JustGiving page.

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