100-year-old man raises more than £170,000 for coronavirus relief while fasting for Ramadan

‘We have proved that we can stand hand to hand and shoulder to shoulder during the most unprecedented time of our lives,’ says Dabirul Islam Choudhury

A 100-year-old man has raised more than £170,000 for Covid-19 relief by walking laps of his garden while fasting for Ramadan.

In an initiative similar to that of Captain Tom Moore, Dabirul Islam Choudhury, from St Albans, set himself a challenge of walking 100 laps of his garden during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends on Saturday 23 May.

On his fundraising page, it states that Mr Choudhury is raising money for the Ramadan Family Commitment (RFC) Covid-19 Crisis Initiative, which is run by British-Bangladeshi television broadcaster Channel S.

Money will be distributed to “victims of Covid-19 both in the UK, Bangladesh and over 50 countries”.

Mr Choudhury has been carrying out his fundraiser throughout the month of Ramadan, while continuing to observe religious fasting.

Dabirul Islam Choudhury (Channel S TV/PA Wire)

On Thursday 21 May, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted his support for Mr Choudhury’s fundraising campaign.

“On behalf of @UKLabour, I would like to thank Dabirul Islam Choudhury for his incredible fundraising effort,” the Labour leader tweeted.

“I know he has now raised well over £150,000 for those affected by coronavirus in the UK and Bangladesh.”

Mr Choudhury’s initial target was to raise £1,000, an aim that he reached hours after launching the fundraiser.

The centenarian expressed his gratitude to everyone who has donated to his campaign, which has received support from more than 8,800 donors.

“Thank you for your generous donations,” Mr Choudhury said. “We have proved that we can stand hand to hand and shoulder to shoulder during the most unprecedented time of our lives.”

He also offered a message of congratulations for Captain Tom Moore, who is to be knighted after raising almost £33m for NHS Charities Together.

“I would like to congratulate Captain Sir Thomas Moore for being knighted for his exemplary efforts to raise funds for our NHS,” Mr Choudhury said.

The 100-year-old was born on 1 January 1920 in British Assam, now modern-day Bangladesh. He moved to London in 1957 to study English literature.

He became a community leader in St Albans, in addition to becoming an accomplished poet.

A spokesperson for Channel S TV told PA news agency that Mr Choudhury is “determined to carry on the walking as long as people keep donating”.