Back in 2022 my son, Gabriel, then just 12 yrs old, made a little wooden bowl to raise money for Save The Children. In just two weeks he raised over £250,000. The following year he used his creativity to raise another £30,000 and was awarded Just Giving's Teen Fundraiser of the Year, the Prime Minister's Points Of Light Award and even travelled to Poland to visit a school for Ukrianian refugees that the money he had raised had funded.

He is also Save The Children's first ever child Ambassador.

Now a teenager, he remains committed to using his creative skills to make a difference and CREATE MAKE DONATE is his latest campaign.

In addition to raising money for Save the Children the campaign will also support the charitable company [CIC] that myself and Gabriel have set up, called the GRC Foundation. In both cases the funds raised will enable creativity to transform lives.

Save the Children

Save the Children operates in over 100 countries around the world, responding to humanitarian emergencies, with particular emphasis on health, poverty, girls education and climate resilience. Creativity is central to their approach to healing, setting up child-friendly spaces where children are free to play and be creative. Art and storytelling are used as essential tools in helping children express themselves, process the trauma of war and rebuild a sense of safety, identity and hope.

GRC Foundation

The GRC Foundation, a joint venture between Gabriel and his Dad, Richard, seeks to challenge the fears, anxieties and misunderstandings that all too often surround creativity. Its mission is to provide tools to help both children and adults embrace their own creative selves as a route to improved mental health and resilience. Creative learning will be supported through both the development of our online initiatives such as The Playground and The Hearth whilst short films and interviews, investigating the self-doubts we all feel when it comes to creativity, will be made available to schools and community arts groups.

www.grcfoundation.co.uk

Thank you all so much for your support. The world can seem like a pretty worrisome place much of the time so we're hoping, with this campaign, to shine a little light.

Richard & Gabriel

https://www.instagram.com/clarkie_woodwork/

Please note that the fundraiser has to take the 'crowdfunding' route because of the very tight rules and restrictions regarding Charities, which unfortunately prevent 'charitable companies' [CIC's] from receiving Gift Aid.

Setting up the Foundation along with a national campaign has involved considerable expense [Gabriel has even invested all his money from selling bowls!]. In order for the GRC Foundation to continue to build I have agreed a sliding scale split between us and Save The Children.

The first £25,000 will go to covering the set up costs for the Foundation. After that every £25,000 raised will increase Save The Children's share until it becomes a 50:50 split from there onwards.

Again, thank you so very much for your support.