Woking boy, 12, spends 1,000 nights in tent for charity

Freddie began the challenge in March 2020

A boy has spent his 1,000th and final night sleeping in a tent in the back garden of his family home.

Freddie, from Woking, Surrey, has raised almost £30,000 for The Trussell Trust, which works to end the need for food banks.

The 12-year-old said he was inspired after seeing England footballer Marcus Rashford's work with the charity.

"People called me weird, but I'll be perfectly honest, I am weird and I've really enjoyed it," he said.

The challenge has spanned three birthdays for Freddie, having gone through six tents and temperatures as low as -10C and as high as 35C.

"In late January 2021, we had so much snow, the tent collapsed," he said.

Freddie with his mother Nicola and BBC Radio Surrey reporter Adrian Harms

He said: "After we started the challenge for fun, I started thinking, 'why don't we turn this into fundraising?'

"But there hasn't been a night where I thought, 'oh my god, I really want to give up'."

To celebrate the 1,000th night, Freddie's family slept in the tent together.

His mother, Nicola, said for the first few nights of the challenge in March 2020, herself or Freddie's father James would sleep in the tent with him.

"At the time, it was a bit of a challenge mentally to leave him outside," she said.

"But as time goes on, you sort of get used to it."

'So grateful'

Since then, Freddie has raised £29,346.

Garry Lemon from The Trussell Trust said Freddie's achievement was "completely extraordinary" - especially as his original fundraising target was £250.

"We're so grateful," he said.

"It's been a really tough time for people volunteering at food banks. Not just through Covid when you started, but ever since then we've seen so many people who need help.

"Freddie, quite deservedly, has won our Young Fundraiser of the Year award."

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