A 12-year-old boy from Cumbria has raised over £65,000 in just 48 hours, after thousands entered a raffle to win a wooden bowl to support children and families in Ukraine.
Gabriel Clark 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.
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.
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Using his new-found Instagram fame, Gabriel carved a wooden bowl, etched with a blue and yellow ring, to raise funds for Save the Children’s Ukraine appeal, after seeing harrowing footage of the war-torn country on the news.
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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 the Lake District 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 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.
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Dad Richard 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.
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