07-05-2025
Stormtroopers descend on Oxfordshire town for Make-A-Wish
Jez Allinson with his Star War character assistants at the Wallingford event (Image: Jez Allinson)
An Oxfordshire town got a visit from Star Wars' Darth Vader, Stormtroopers and more this weekend in a hugely successful charity event.
The Running stormtrooper, also known as Jez Allinson, visited The George Hotel in Wallingford on Sunday for an event raising money for children's charity Make-A-Wish.
It's the latest on the beloved character's exploits around the UK, which has so far raised more than £83,000 for children's charities.
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With the sell-out event in Wallingford, including ticket sales, a raffle and three auctions, Mr Allinson thinks that an additional £2,300 has been raised, bringing the total up to more than £85K.
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He said: "The George Hotel were brilliant, they donated the function room and we had all the tables and everything laid out.
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"It pretty much looked like a Make-A-Wish wedding by the time I was finished with it!
"I'm really, really pleased with the money raised. The whole evening went so well."
He thanked the "brilliant and generous" businesses who donated prizes for the raffle held at the family-friendly event.
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Described as a "wonderfully unique event," Jez shared the Running Stormtrooper Story, "one of the most positive and inspirational Star Wars fan stories in the Galaxy.
In the past, he's run the London Marathon, Ultra Runs at Pinewood Studios, and took on a 1000-mile challenge in 2020.
In Wallingford, Jez was supported by several Star Wars characters, and auctioned off must-have prizes for franchise fans, including a framed Return of the Jedi 1982 storyboard donated by PropStore.
