Blackpool Social Club has recently found out about an awesome little fundraiser, who has been doing his bit to raise money and awareness for local homeless charity, Streetlife. Rook Ladish (age 7) was inspired and supported by his mum, Chelsea. We caught up with her to find out some more about this project and its inspiration.
What made him choose Streetlife as a charity?
I did the Big Sleep Out here in Blackpool in 2019, to raise funding for Streetlife. My late brother-in-law, Simon, was a huge supporter of this charity, and this went towards inspiring the choice. Rook had seen me fundraise on the run-up and had even donated some of his pocket money to sponsor me. When I explained to him that sometimes people get into difficulty, he wanted to help, and this seemed like a nice way to do it because he loves to draw.
Where did the idea come from?
He had wanted to make a t-shirt or sticker design since seeing me make them for my tattoo studio.
What was the inspiration for the t-shirt design?
There was no official inspiration as such. I just drew a circle on a piece of paper, and handed him a Sharpie! He went wild and drew things from his imagination. Rook was only five at the time, so when he showed me what he had drawn I was very impressed.
What did you do to help him set it up?
We used a screen printing company in Norwich, called VinoSangre. They are really good dudes that do a lot of work for tattoo artists, and when they heard what we were doing they gave us a great deal to help direct more money to the charity. This enabled us to buy quite a few, and we have been consistently selling them since last summer.
What is the furthest location of your t-shirt sales so far?
They have been bought by people in Australia, Las Vegas, Wisconsin, New York, as well as all over the UK. People have even sent us fun holiday photographs of them wearing the T-shirts.
Most importantly, how can we get one and how much are they?
They can be purchased via the following link, or if you are local to Blackpool, you can email us at [email protected] instead, as we offer free local delivery. The T-shirts are £10 for children and £15 for adults.
How much have you raised for far?
We have already raised (and donated) £680, but have sold more t-shirts, so we are nearly at a total of £750. We really appreciate all of the support people have shown for this project, and it is an amount that will go a long way towards helping local homeless youths. I encourage everyone to check out the great work that Streetlife does. It has been a lovely way to help Rook nurture his sense of community, and teach him that even though he is a kid, he can make big positive changes to the people around him. We’re very proud of what he has done.
Chelsea and Rook also shared pictures of their happy customers. You too can look this cool! If you’re looking for an alternative Christmas gift this year and want to support a local charity at the same time, then look no further. You will also make a little boy very happy, by helping his fundraising cause.
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