Oscar Lawson- A Honeypot Champion
“I felt I should at least tell other people and raise awareness, and that later evolved into fundraising too.”
Oscar Lawson, aged sixteen, has been supporting us since he was ten years old!
Here at Honeypot we take real pride in the fact that we have such a diverse and truly amazing mix of fundraisers supporting us, covering all backgrounds and ages. This includes really big corporates and really small ones, trusts and foundations, community groups and schools, and of course the many amazing individuals who support us from all over the country, and without whom our work simply would not be possible . Oscar is one of them. He has been supporting us since he was ten year old, and proven himself to be a true inspiration over the course of many years.
His ongoing drive and commitment to raise awareness for Honeypot has not only accumulated to a pretty decent amount of money over the years, but also brought in many new supporters through his activities with schools and the local community. We spoke to him about his inspiration to support us, his biggest achievement to date and why he’ll continue fundraising for Honeypot.
An interview with Oscar Lawson
What inspired you to fundraise for Honeypot?
I guess it all started with my parents supporting Honeypot through their jobs at Tesco when I was younger, and I know that the charity has been close to their hearts ever since. I remember them talking about young carers, some only my age, and the immense responsibilities and challenges these children face every day. It was a real shock to me, and I realised how little public knowledge there was of such a prevalent issue affecting so many children.
I was only ten back then, but I felt I should at least tell other people and raise awareness, and that later evolved into fundraising too.
what funraising methods have you explored?
One of the first things I did was an assembly at my primary school where I explained Honeypot’s work, and I then organised an “own clothes day” to raise money. I also wrote a ‘pick-your-path’ book for children, where readers could decide where they want the story to go, and sold all 100 copies, donating the profits to Honeypot. Since then, I’ve been involved in stalls at local fairs at my senior school, and I was lucky enough to be invited to 10 Downing Street back in 2018 when the charity was selected as the partner for the year.
More recently, I have taken on some physical challenges. Having previously run no further than about 3km in one go, in May 2020 I ran a marathon in a week (about 6.5km a day every day!) and raised a total of £900. And just a few weeks ago, on Christmas Eve, I ran my first full marathon which took 5h 20m and was completed in a Santa suit, raising over £1500.
What is your proudest achievement in your fundraising journey?
I would say the awareness I have raised and my fundraising total, which is now over £5500. I currently look after a couple of collection tins in shops in my local area which bring in £30 every few months, and I am applying for Honeypot to be one of the charities of my senior school to support from September, having narrowly missed out on getting this last year.
What is your motivation behind continuing to support honeypot?
Having such a great cause to support definitely motivates me to push myself and tackle new challenges. I know that so many vulnerable children have to go through much greater struggles every day so I keep going and keep raising more to help them.
“I’ve loved everything about fundraising for Honeypot over the last 5 or so years, and have felt supported by my friends and family, and everyone at Honeypot.”
