Truck pull and raffle raise £2k for terminally ill Lincoln boy’s bucket list

A fundraising effort to help a young boy from Lincoln with a terminal illness tick off his bucket list raised close to £2,000 thanks to a charity truck pull and raffle.

Local strongmen Dave Johnson and Craig Collins, who often complete feats of strength for charity, hosted a truck pull on Saturday, October 16.

It was in aid of Joshua Bilton, 21, whom The Lincolnite wrote about in September, after his family organised a fundraiser to help him tick off a bucket list of activities, as doctors were unable to prevent the heart issues he suffered from Williams syndrome.

Joshua with his mother Heather.

His condition affects growth, causes mental deficiencies and can be associated with heart defects, and after years of tests and diagnoses, Joshua’s family have been told his condition is terminal.

Joshua was given two years to live in September, and since then has been experiencing amazing things since then to fill the remainder of his life with memories.

A huge tick on Joshua’s bucket list as he got to meet one of his favourite wrestlers at a WWE show in London.

He went to the O2 in London to watch WWE live and met some of his favourite wrestlers, and is now hoping for a holiday to Disneyland and a Zoom chat with his favourite band, Slipknot.

To help with the fundraising effort, Dave Johnson and Craig Collins hosted a truck pull in Lincoln over the weekend, allowing people to raise money for a good cause while testing their strength.

26 competitors took on the truck pull to help raise money for Joshua.

The event saw Dave himself take on a 27 tonne truck pull, along with 25 others competing such as Dave Thornton and double Guinness World Record holder Mark Anglesea, and it raised £1,270 for the cause. You can still donate here.

As for Craig’s raffle, that raised £700, meaning the total amount gathered from the event was £1,970.

Dave and Craig were joined at the event by British Bare Knuckle Boxing champion Nathan Decastro.

The truck pull was also in memory of Damian Buckle, a close friend of Dave‘s who died in a crash on the A46 in August this year.

Dave Johnson said: “Thank you to Flying Hire for allowing us to do the event, to Dave Thornton and Mark Anglesea for the help and support, to Craig Collins for his hard work and everyone who competed.

“Hopefully it can help Joshua fulfil his bucket list.”

Dave and a few of his friends painted their faces in honour of Damian Buckle, a friend of theirs who died in a crash on the A46 earlier in 2021.