Wednesfield veteran Bill says heartfelt thank you to his supporters after sleepout

A brave Wednesfield army veteran who is facing life-saving cancer surgery has thanked everyone who helped him to raise £1,500 for two good causes on his 'last act of kindness.'

William 'Bill' Harley camped out for 24 hours in his back garden last weekend with New Cross worker and former army medic Sarah Whelan who he credits as previously saving his life.

The two braved freezing cold temperatures helped by military friends and personnel and over 30 people visited them in the 24 hours.

With a GoFundMe campaign already underway, they raised £1,000 for the Royal Air Force Association (RAFA) in Wolverhampton and £500 for Compton Care.

Bill, aged 71, who served 14 years in the army including time in Northern Ireland, Singapore and Malaysia, said he wanted to carry out one last act of kindness after previous good deeds.

Now he faces one final challenge as he is preparing to go under the knife again and have his bowel removed at New Cross.

He said: "Whatever happens, it was a memorable weekend and we raised a good few quid for the two charities which are both relevant to the Wolverhampton and Black Country area.

"It was a fun 24 hours though some people might not think it would be, but we had so may visitors to keep our spirits up and they included many of the people who helped us prepare for the challenge.

"People like para John who supplied all the kit and Lisa Jones who made the cakes - they all provided wonderful support and me and Sarah were so grateful to them.

"Sarah has been a rock to me down the years and there is nobody else I would have wanted to do the sleepout with, she does wonderful work at the hospital and has done down the years military wise.

"We would just like to thank everyone who contributed in any way whether that was helping us prepare or by donating to the fundraiser - it has given me a lot of spirit as I face another operation which I hope will be successful."