Penrith man to raise money with the help of his Dalek

With the help of the unusual sidekick, 63-year-old Nick Powley from Lazonby is fundraising for this year's Red Nose Day.

Nick and the Dalek, named Len after his Doctor Who fan father, will be inside the main entrance at Sainsbury’s in Penrith on Friday 18 and Saturday March 19 collecting donations for Comic Relief.

Retired electronics engineer Nick built his own Dalek over five months during the pandemic, inspired by a long-running family joke.

He said: "Like many kids, I used to watch Doctor Who from behind the sofa, scared and fascinated in equal measure.

"The Daleks were always my favourite.

"When I was 10, Dad promised he’d build me my own Dalek, but it never really progressed beyond a plastic bowl with an attempt at an eye stalk!

"It became a running joke that I never did get my Dalek and that I’d have to make my own.

"It only took a few decades for that to happen!”

Len is made mainly from wood, moves with the help of an old electric wheelchair motor and its voice modulator and electronics are all designed and built by Nick himself.

The Dalek has been customised for Red Nose Day with a new red eye stalk and demands to ‘exterminate!’ will be replaced with a call to ‘donate’.

Nick added: "I was motivated to build ‘Len’ and dedicate him to my late father because I wanted to raise money for charitable causes close to my heart.

"One of those is Comic Relief.

"My father died from prostate cancer so I also want to use Len in the future to raise money and awareness around men’s health, especially of those conditions where an early check-up could make a difference.

"I am so proud to be fundraising for Comic Relief in memory of my Dad.”

They'll be at Sainsbury’s in Penrith on March 18 and 19, but will also be out and about in his village of Lazonby collecting donations in the week before Red Nose Day.

Alternatively, you can donate to Comic Relief via Nick’s Just Giving page by clicking here.