A 12-year-old boy from Cumbria has raised over £245,000 to support families in Ukraine, after over 14,000 people entered a raffle to win a one-off wooden bowl he made.
Donations tripled over the Easter weekend after celebrities, including JK Rowling, Stephen Fry, Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman and Harry Potter actor Jason Isaacs, tweeted their support for the young woodwork prodigy.
Gabriel Clark, who lives in Kirkby Lonsdale with his TV director dad Richard and artist mum Teresa, first went viral after 250,000 people responded to a plea from his dad for people to follow his son’s woodwork Instagram account to boost his following of just six.
Other celebrities who have shown their support for the young star include YouTuber and author Joe Sugg, iconic singer Cher and Radio 1 DJs Zoe Ball and Gregg James.
Gabriel had originally planned to sell his wooden bowls to fund a new mountain bike, but after his dad’s tweet led to hundreds of thousands of new followers, he decided to use his new-found Instagram fame for good, carving a 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.
Gabriel said: “I’m absolutely blown away by the level of support that my bowl and I have received. I originally hoped to raise £5,000 so this is just mad! I haven’t even told people at school yet!
“I really hope that everyone’s generosity can help children in Ukraine. What I’ve seen on the news is so sad, but I hope that the money can help Save the Children to provide more support to kids who’ve been impacted by the conflict with things like food, water and a safe place to sleep.”
Richard, who has directed TV shows including Doctor Who, Outlander and War of the Worlds, said: “This has just been an extraordinary story of hope, joy and kindness. I never imagined that my tweet would turn into this amazing thing – I just wanted to help get Gabriel a few more followers and somehow, it’s resulted in people donating almost £250,000 to help children in Ukraine, it’s just incredible! Children’s lives will be made better because of this and that’s no small thing.”
The draw for Gabriel’s Bowl for Ukraine closed on Easter Sunday and the bowl will be sent to Renuka Chapman from London.
Renuka said: “I was so moved when I saw the original tweet from Gabriel’s dad that I just had to follow his Instagram account. When Gabriel then launched his Ukraine fundraiser I immediately wanted to donate and I encouraged all my family and friends to do the same.”
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 7.5 million children who are caught in the middle of this war. 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