The Channel TV reporter and JEP columnist, who was recently given six to 12 months to live due to a cancer diagnosis, said a huge thank-you after a Justgiving page was set up by an Islander to raise money for him and his husband, Alan, to go on a cruise.
He requested instead that the money is donated to Macmillan Cancer Support Jersey, and by yesterday afternoon more than £15,000 had been raised.
Mr Burgess said the thousands raised served to further highlight the generosity of Islanders, particularly when so many may be struggling due to the pandemic. On Sunday, more than £128,000 was raised through the Jersey Christmas Appeal auction – more than double last year’s final total, while the Royal British Legion confirmed this week that the annual poppy appeal had raised more than £200,000.
He added he ‘couldn’t believe’ the response to the fundraiser and said that every contribution ‘means the world to him’.
On Tuesday, an interview with Mr Burgess about his diagnosis aired on Channel TV.
‘The video I’d done with Channel Television went on the internet and the telly last night and suddenly I was receiving loads of incredibly kind messages,’ he said.
‘And a few hours later suddenly this Justgiving page appeared out of nowhere. It was initially to raise money for a cruise for me and Alan, which is such a generous, lovely offer, but it was also something that we just couldn’t accept because we’re in that really lucky position where we can afford a holiday, whereas other people are struggling.
‘So I tracked down the person who had very kindly done it and asked is there any way she could change its purpose to raise money for Macmillan Jersey? She changed it immediately.
‘It’s Christmas and people are busy and they’re buying presents for friends and family, yet they are still showing such kindness and generosity. It’s overwhelming kindness’
Mr Burgess said that the generosity of Islanders was nothing new for him to see but still astonishing. ‘I’ve been in the Island for getting on for a decade now, and it never ceases to amaze me how generous people are in so many different ways,’ he said.
‘It’s not always money – it’s generosity of spirit and generosity of action as well. But to see £128,000 last week donated for the Jersey Christmas Appeal and suddenly goodness knows how much by tomorrow morning for this shows how much of a community we are and how, when push comes to shove, we look out for each other.’
He added that he wanted to add a ‘rallying cry’ for Islanders to donate as much as possible to the crowd funder. ‘To everyone who’s donated, whether it’s £1, £10 or £50 – thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart,’ he said.
‘For anybody else who stumbles across this fundraiser and either share it or puts some money in the pot, it really just means the world to me right now. It really does.’
The Justgiving page was set up by Islander Helen Clackett, who told the JEP she would prefer to avoid personal publicity and for the focus to be on the fundraising.
Earlier this year, the Bailiff, Timothy Le Cocq, set up an appeal for ‘philanthropic donations’ towards supporting the Island’s response to the pandemic. Within a fortnight, more than £1.5 million had been pledged.
