Grandad who raised more than £420,000 walking laps around his garden during Covid dies aged 106

A man who raised more than £420,000 by walking around his communal east London garden has died, aged 106.

Dabirul Islam Choudhury OBE passed away in the early hours of Tuesday, January 13, at the Royal London Hospital.

Inspired by Captain Tom, Dabirul, spearheaded a walking challenge aiming to reach 1.5 million steps worldwide.

He raised the money by walking 970 laps of his garden in Bow, east London while he was fasting for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Nearly £116,000 of the total raised was donated to the NHS, while the remaining amount was divided between 30 charities in 52 countries as part of the Ramadan Family Commitment (RFC) Covid-19 crisis initiative.

The RFC, who Dabirul was an ambassador for, is run by British-Bangladeshi television broadcaster Channel S.

In 2020, he was made an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours for his charitable efforts.

His charitable work did not stop there as, in 2022, he welcomed people from all around the world to his home to support Ukrainian refugees and raise money for RFC.

People from more than 300 countries across the world, including Bangladesh, Canada, India, Pakistan and Turkey tuned in to the live stream to take part in the event.

During the event in the garden of his communal residence, he led a 102-second silence.

In an interview at the time, Dabirul said: ‘There are a lot of people there who are without food. There are a lot of people there who are hungry.

‘There are a lot of people there who are dying. I like to support them.

‘If you help anybody, you will get the benefit of it. I wish to see that the people who are quarrelling should stop their quarrelling.’

His son, Atique Choudhury, shared the news of his father’s death yesterday morning on Facebook and wrote: ‘I would like to thank everyone who supported my father in his life long journey of fundraising and benevolence for the people of the world.

‘Please keep him in your prayers.’

His niece Rose added in a tribute: ‘During the height of the COVID pandemic, uncle inspired the world by walking daily throughout Ramadhan whilst fasting, raising over £420,000 for charity.

‘His quiet determination showed that age is never a barrier to doing good and that sincere intentions can move hearts across the globe.’

The Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman said: ‘During the difficult time of the Covid crisis, we even had the opportunity to meet him. He always showed us kindness, care, and genuine concern.

‘He supported me through both my good and bad days, and his love and encouragement will never be forgotten.

‘He was a man of great heart, with deep dedication to the community and humanitarian charities. His loss will be felt deeply by all who knew him.’

Dabirul Islam Choudhury was born in 1st January 1920 and was born in Bangladesh then called British Assam.

In 1957, Dabirul moved to England to study English Literature in London. Due to his education and command in the English language, he ended up as a community leader and settled in St Albans.

His charity work was responsible for many community projects and raising money for the independence struggle of Bangladesh.

Dabirul is an accomplished poet and has published over a thousand of his own poems. Dabirul also spends his time going to his local book clubs and poetry associations.

A post later that morning on Dabriul’s Facebook page wrote: ‘We are truly grateful for the immense love, care, and support shown to him during his lifetime and for the compassion and prayers we have received at this difficult time.

‘We kindly request you to remember him in your prayers and make du‘a [personal prayer to Allah] for his maghfirah [divine forgiveness] and eternal peace.’

Dabirul’s Salatul Janazah, the Islamic funeral prayer, will take place on Thursday, January 15, followed by a viewing and burial.

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