YORK’S very own ‘Big chip man’ has made a return to fundraising with his ‘March Motivator’ to support York Hospital through the pandemic.

Oliver Dale, who lives in the Huntington area, became a local celebrity in the city after finding a seven-inch chip during the first lockdown.

He said: “Finding my big chip really made my year under such difficult circumstances.”

Since then, Oliver has used his name as the ‘Big chip man’ to organise fundraising events to support York Hospital staff through the difficult time of the pandemic.

Last month, Mr Dale set up his ‘March Motivator’ - which aimed to encourage people to carry out at least one motivational activity every day during March.

Oliver went on to say: “This latest lockdown has been extremely hard, not only for myself but for a number of people.

“The aim of my March Motivator was to get people up and moving while trying to improve their mental wellbeing.

“I had great support through March and it was amazing to see a number of people getting involved through generous donations or joining me for an activity.

“The residents of York really know how to pull together during tough times - so it’s a massive thank you from me”

So far, Oliver has raised a total of £2,229 for the hospital charity.

A spokesperson for the York Teaching Hospitals Charity said: “The brilliant total Oliver has raised has already been put to good use, with the fridge freeze for our G1 ward, and items to kit out our marquee, a place used at break times as respite from challenging working conditions over the winter months.”

As well as his fundraisers, which included running 100km over 10 days, Oliver has used any funding he gained from the original story, which made national headlines, to support the charity.

The story also featured on BBC’s Have I Got News For You last year.