Fundraising superstars: Impressive young fundraisers

The future of fundraising looks bright thanks to the dedication of young people, who are becoming more determined to back good causes in innovative ways, often through their personal connection to a charity.

 

According to research into in-memory fundraising, where people raise money to pay tribute to the memory a family member or friend, young people aged 18 to 44 are three times more likely to donate to this form of fundraising than older people.

 

But this commitment to raising money starts even younger, with several innovative fundraisers as young as five attracting headlines with their commitment to charitable causes.

 

Here we profile some of the U.K.’s most notable young fundraisers, many of whom took part in their own sponsored challenges to raise money for a cause close to their heart.

 

 

Five-year-old mountain climber

 

Among the youngest U.K. fundraisers is Seren Price from South Wales, who completed the Three Peaks Challenge at the age of five in December 2022.

 

This challenge involves climbing the U.K.’s three highest mountain peaks: Snowdon in Wales, Ben Nevis in Scotland, and Scafell Pike in England.

 

She took part with her father, who is a former firefighter, and raised more than £7,300 for Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital Charity.

 

During her feat she even helped another walker who was suffering from exhaustion while on Ben Nevis.

 

“Seren played a crucial part in this rescue by shining the torch (as night drew in with the slow process of supporting this lady down the mountain),” said her father.

 

“If this was not enough Seren gave the lady her last Lucozade to give the lady some energy.”

 

As of 2023 this young fundraiser is also aiming to climb Morocco’s Mount Toubka, the highest point in North Africa. She also completed the Welsh three peaks challenge at the age of just three.

 

In 2023 she was among the young finalists in JustGiving’s annual award scheme for fundraisers.

 

 

Boy in the Tent

 

Among the most high-profile young U.K. fundraisers is Max Woosey, who is known as the Boy in the Tent after his fundraising exploits.

 

At the age of ten he spent three years from 2020 camping overnight in a tent in his garden to raise money for North Devon Hospice. He raised just under £650,000 through his JustGiving page through donations from more than 35,000 supporters.

 

Max, who received the British Empire Medal for his efforts and was named JustGiving’s Young Fundraiser of the Year in 2022, was inspired to carry out the fundraising challenge following the death of a family friend. He staged a final celebratory camp out festival at Broomhill Estate in North Devon in April 2023.

 

As well as raising thousands for his local hospice, he has also inspired other young fundraisers to emulate his feat.

 

This includes Billy from Yorkshire who by the time he was 13 in 2023 had spent a year sleeping in a tent in his garden, raising money for homelessness charity Emmaus UK.

 

Billy is aiming to spend a further two years sleeping under canvas to beat Max’s record. As of August 2023, he had raised more than £1,000 for the charity. He had originally set out to raise £150.

 

"When he started his adventure, he wasn’t aware of ‘the boy in the tent’ so now he is that’s appealed to his competitive streak,” said Billy’s mum Sarah.

 

 

The journey his sister couldn’t make

 

Another young fundraiser to be honoured through the JustGiving awards scheme in 2023 is Harry Smith, who at the age of 12 raised just under £29,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity in memory of his siter Emily, who died in 2022 at the age of eight from an incurable brain tumour.

 

During his imaginative challenge he swam a mile, climbed England’s highest peak, Scafell Pike, then cycled 75km home from Addenbrookes Hospital, in Cambridge, a journey his sister was never able to make.

 

After completing this emotional final cycling part of his challenge, Harry said: “I had a great welcome from my neighbours and friends as I arrived home with my Dad cycling with me. And amazing support from all my family along the way.

 

“Thank you to everyone who has donated. Together, we will keep fundraising and find a cure.”

 

Harry is another to be honoured in JustGiving’s annual award scheme for fundraisers, which named him 2023’s Young Fundraiser of the Year.

 

“I chose the Brain Tumour Charity as they help fund research to find cures so that other children don’t have to suffer like Emily did.  Everything I do is to raise money for research towards brain tumours and awareness of the underfunded deadly brain tumours like Emily’s,” said Harry, after receiving the award.