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A 49-year-old British expatriate originally from Wales has signed up as a GrabFood delivery rider in Singapore.

He wasn't retrenched or anything, as he is doing it for a good cause.

Anthony Houlahan, vice-president of strategy for telecommunications company Ericsson Telecommunications, is still keeping his day job but he is hustling on the side to raise money for the Children's Cancer Foundation (CCF).

The goal is to raise S$100,000 by the end of the circuit breaker period -- which has ended, but Houlahan is riding on.

The Singapore permanent resident, who has been living here for 18 years, said it is his way of harnessing his own restlessness, energy, and get some workout outdoors, while contributing back to society and Singapore, which he admits has been nice to him.

Started on April 22

Houlahan told The Straits Times previously: "It was a completely spur-of-the-moment decision. I picked the CCF because I wanted to help children in need. They have done nothing to deserve their illness and have their whole lives ahead of them."

He then started his deliveries on April 22, after hearing the circuit breaker extension announcement on April 21.

He raised S$4,500 in five days.

Houlahan rides his bicycle to do deliveries in the evenings and weekends.

He lives alone here as his wife and two daughters, aged 21 and 23, are in the United Kingdom.

In two weeks, he raised more than S$15,000.

On Day 44, on June 4, he updated that he has raised S$56,000.

The money he raised so far came from delivery fees, as well as tips and donations pledged to the Giving.sg website, where S$44,171 has been raised from 293 donors.

Donors can pledge to donate between five cents and S$1 for every dollar Houlahan earns.

He reports the amount daily on his website and provides breakdowns.

Going the distance

He does about eight deliveries on weekdays.

On weekends, he clocks more miles and does even more deliveries.

He can start at 10.30am and finish at about 6.30pm.

On one Saturday, he made 21 deliveries after cycling 77km.

Working about 20 to 25 hours a week, Houlahan estimates a typical rider can earn about S$400, ST reported.

Houlahan also told the BBC: "It can be hot, it can be sunny, it can be wet. It's a tough job. A lot of people do that to feed themselves and their families."

"So I have utmost respect for those guys."

Changed to Foodpanda

Houlahan updated his website on May 31 to announce that he has stopped working for GrabFood since May 28, and has joined Foodpanda.

He wrote that Foodpanda has agreed to provide a direct financial contribution to the campaign to support the Children's Cancer Foundation.

He also said he believes Foodpanda allows him to earn more money per hour, and that it pays more per hour for food delivery having tried it.