A man dubbed “Mr Selfie” who raised more than £3,000 for a terminal illness charity, has been awarded for his dedication to the cause.
Keith Thomas was presented with West Wales Fundraiser of the Year by Marie Curie at the charity’s annual Great Daffodil Appeal launch at the Senedd this week.
Marie Curie provides care and support to people living with any terminal illness, and their families.
Keith supported the charity in 2017 by posting a selfie a day for an entire year which featured friends, family, local celebrities and passengers on his bus on route from Swansea to Llanelli.
He not only raised a fantastic £3,650.09 but increased awareness of Marie Curie through social media.
“I started the selfie challenge on June 30 2016, which was the first one I did,” he said.
“I was doing a lot of social media anyway, mainly Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. People in work started calling me Mr Selfie, so I said I am going to post a selfie every day of the year.
“Someone told me I wouldn’t do it – so, I am up for a challenge and said yes I will.
“The first one was on my daughter’s 32nd birthday, I decided I would start with that and it went from there. About two days into the challenge, someone asked me if I was doing it for charity or if I was just doing it to annoy people. So I decided I would do it for charity, and instantly thought of Marie Curie.”
“The best part was seeing everybody smiling when they were having a selfie. That’s definitely the best part.”
Speaking of getting the award at the Senedd, Keith said he was “gobsmacked.”
“I am absolutely overwhelmed,” he added.
“I really never expected it.”
Chris Roberts, Community Fundraiser for West Wales, said: “We are so grateful to Keith for not only raising this fantastic sum of money but for raising the profile of Marie Curie through his Selfie-a-Day campaign on social media and in the local press.
“Keith’s passion and energy for fundraising has inspired everyone that he’s come into contact with, and his endeavours have made it possible for Marie Curie nurses to continue their great work across Keith’s community.”
