Alan Barnes, 67, was pushed to the ground outside of his home, breaking his collar bone as he hit the road. The attack last Sunday left the visually-impaired man too afraid to return to his Gateshead home. The police condemned the unprovoked attack, calling it “disgraceful.”
Beautician Katie Cutler created him a page on the crowd-funding donation site Go Fund Me though, hoping to raise the man a concession of £500. She heard the story on the Mirror’s website and wrote on the page “I was so upset that anyone could target a disabled pensioner and be so cruel. We can’t take away what has happened but with a little donation we can make the future a prettier one.”
By Saturday evening, over 11,700 people from all over the world had donated a total of over £160,000 though alongside offers by tradesman to give Mr Barnes furniture, carpets, appliances and home improvements. As of writing this article, the fund stands at over £215,000 with over 15,000 contributors, increasing by nearly £200 a minute.
Mr Barnes has said that the generosity shown by members of the public will live with him forever, saying “I’ve heard of fundraising for charities but I’ve only got a fractured collarbone, I didn’t expect that sort of response. Thank you doesn’t really seem to answer it, does it?”
He has been left disabled since birth after his mother contracted German measles during pregnancy. The attacker demanded money from Mr Barnes and knocked him to the ground but ran off when the pensioner screamed for help as his pockets were checked.
