Boy carpenter's Ukraine bowl raffle smashes target

A 12-year-old boy who carved a bowl to raffle for Ukrainian refugees said he was very happy after his fundraising target was exceeded by 1,500%.

Gabriel Clark, from Cumbria, started his Bowl For Ukraine appeal after worrying about the plight of children in the country.

Thousands of people entered the raffle, and he has now raised more than £76,300 - initially he hoped for £6,000.

The winner will be picked at random and announced on Easter Sunday on 17 April.

Gabriel went viral online last month when his father, Richard Clark, issued a plea for people to follow his son's Instagram account showing pictures of his handcrafted creations - including wooden chopping boards, bowls and even drumsticks.

Gabriel said he got into woodwork at the age of about three or four.

"My mother gave me her grandfather's hammer and some nails and I had some very soft wood called balsa wood so I'd hammer nails into it and make sculptures," he said.

"I'd really enjoy it and do it non-stop for hours".

His father said: "His workplace was the hearth originally and then slowly we began to create other places to help him make the most out of it, but every time we gave him a new space he grew out of it in about six months.

"Then about two years ago we built him a workshop and he got various tools for it for Christmases and birthdays - some very terrifying tools which he uses really comfortably."

The bowl was easy to make, Gabriel said.

"You do it on the lathe and chisel out the inside and round out the outside," he said.

"So it's quite simple but it does take a long time."

Speaking about the amount raised, he added: "It's been a bit crazy but I'm really happy with how it's turned out."

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