Hastings ex-teacher, 106, who raised £60k for charity, honoured by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

Joan Willett, who is 106, received a personal letter from the PM and will be presented with a special certificate by Hastings and Rye MP, Sally-Ann Hart at her care home today (Wednesday, April 12).

The PM awarded the centenarian and double heart attack survivor one of his Points of Light awards in recognition of her fundraising efforts for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) during the pandemic.

The awards are given to ordinary people doing extraordinary things for their community.

Joan, a former teacher, survived her second heart attack at 82 thanks to lifesaving bypass surgery and a heart valve replacement.

Afterwards she went to live at the Hastings care home she still resides in and began walking up and down a steep hill outside several times a day to stay fit.

After watching Captain Tom on TV during the pandemic Joan was inspired to use her daily exercise to help fund the lifesaving heart research she said enabled her to reach 100 and beyond.

In just three months she raised more than £60,000 for the BHF by walking a steep hill outside her residential home four times a day, covering more than 17 miles, leading up to her 104th birthday. She also received a special message of support from her hero Captain Sir Tom Moore during her epic challenge.

Joan said: “It’s a huge surprise to receive this award from the Prime Minister and lovely that my MP thought of me and made the nomination. I feel very honoured and flattered, but I don’t think I have done anything special.

"During the pandemic I was inspired by watching Captain Tom to do my walk for the British Heart Foundation because thanks to their research I have been able to reach the age I am and still enjoy life.

"I’m also so grateful that I came to live at my care home after my second heart attack, because the staff are wonderful and have made sure that I keep my independence which is so important to me. My friend and carer here, Pauline, supported me all the way throughout. I never thought when I came to live here over 20 years ago, I’d be famous.

“The best thing about all this, apart from raising the money to help others, was seeing how kind people have been, particularly friends and strangers from as far afield as Australia and Canada who supported me and donated. You only hear about the bad things in the world, but this has given me great faith in humanity.”