A 12-year-old boy from Cumbria has raised over £65,000 in just 48 hours after thousands entered a raffle to win a one-off wooden bowl made by the young star to support children and families in Ukraine.
Gabriel Clark, of Kirkby Lonsdale, recently went viral after his dad issued a plea on Twitter for people to follow his son’s woodwork Instagram account to boost his small following. Within days, Gabriel’s Instagram following rose to almost a quarter of a million including Radio1 DJ Greg James and TV presenter Zoe Ball.
Lovely twitter people – I don't know how many of you are also #instagram users but I'm looking for a wee favour. I've a 12yr old who loves woodwork. He spends hours on his lathe making bowls and creating chopping boards which he's sells to save up for a mountain bike. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/Ny60rFf1TE
— Richard R Clark ???????? (@rclarkie) March 25, 2022
The young boy had originally planned to sell his bowls to fund a new mountain bike, but when 20,000 commissions flooded in after his dad’s tweet, he realised he couldn’t fulfil all the orders alongside his school and homework.
Using his newfound Instagram fame for good, Gabriel carved a beautiful wooden bowl, etched with a blue and yellow ring (the colours of the Ukraine flag), to raise funds for Save the Children’s Ukraine appeal, after seeing harrowing footage of the war-torn country on the news.
Gabriel said: “I’m blown away by the number of orders I’ve received. I feel bad that I can’t make all the bowls, but I worked out that even if I quit school, which I don’t think my mum and dad would be very pleased about, it would still take me 32 years if I made three a day!”
The youngster, who lives in Kirkby Lonsdale with his TV & film director dad Richard Clark, and artist mum Teresa Clark, discovered his passion for woodwork at the age of just three, with his first creation being a balsa wood tractor. Other early works include a directing stick for his father, a pair of drumsticks for a friend and a peanut dispenser.
“I’m overwhelmed by the level of support I’ve received. I originally wanted to raise £5,000 and this has just blown that out of the water, I’m amazed! I really hope that everyone’s generosity can help children affected by the war in Ukraine, by providing them with food, water, shelter, and safe places to learn and play,” Gabriel added.
Dad Richard, who has directed TV shows including Doctor Who, Outlander and War of the Worlds, said: “When I woke up the next morning after posting the tweet and saw how many followers Gabriel had on his page I did panic a bit, but it’s turned into something amazing. This isn’t about the mountain bike now – Gabriel just wants to do whatever he can to raise as much money as possible for kids in Ukraine.”
The draw for Gabriel’s Bowl for Ukraine is open until Easter Sunday, with all money raised going to Save the Children’s Ukraine Appeal.
Lisa Aubrey, Head of Regional Fundraising and Engagement, at Save the Children said: “We are incredibly grateful for Gabriel’s support and everyone who’s entered the draw for his beautifully carved wooden bowl. The money raised can go a long way to helping support some of the two million children who are believed to have fled the horrific violence in Ukraine.
“Thanks to Gabriel and so many other young fundraisers, we’ll be able to support families in Ukraine and those at the borders with things like food, water and psychosocial support.”
Save the Children staff and volunteers are distributing food, water and hygiene kits to refugees arriving at the Romania-Ukraine border and in reception centres. In Poland and Romania, Save the Children provides child protection services including targeted support for unaccompanied and separated children, psychosocial support, and access to legal services.
If you would like to read more about Gabriel’s Bowl for Ukraine and support his fundraising, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bowlforukraine
For more information on Save the Children, visit www.savethechildren.org.uk
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