When he was unable to do his planned charity cycle due to the pandemic, 15-year-old Hugo decided to take on a drawing challenge to raise money for Place2Be. Hugo shares his story and advice for anyone considering taking a fundraising challenge.

Tell us a little more about your challenge.

"I did a drawing challenge to draw 26 character images. It went quite well. However, I did not achieve the goal I was looking for because I was unable to spread the fundraiser to enough people; that is one of the issues with doing a challenge during lockdown. It was also hard to spread the word as I had just joined a new school."

Why did you choose to support Place2Be?

"Every year, I do a charity cycle. For example, my father and I cycled from Berlin to Copenhagen last year. However, I could not go outside this year due to COVID. So instead, I decided to do a drawing challenge. Because Place2Be has helped me a lot in the past at my old school, I felt that was a really good charity to do my fundraiser for."

Why do you think supporting young people’s mental health is important?

Is there any advice you would give to a young person struggling with their mental health?

"Talk. Talk about it!"

What advice or tips would you give anyone taking on a challenge like this?

"It’s hard! You need to be committed and have a real passion for the thing you’re fundraising for. But most importantly, you need to share it with people. No one can support your fundraiser without knowing it exists!"

Inspired by Hugo's story?

Supporters like Hugo help us to make a real difference to children's and young people’s mental health. If you're feeling inspired by Hugo’s story and would like to find out how you can follow in his footsteps and support Place2Be, download our fundraising pack today.