A young woodworker has gone viral after his dad issued a plea for people to follow his Instagram account.
Richard Clark, a director and screenwriter based in Cumbria, said that his 12-year-old son had been being teased at school for having a relatively small following on his woodworking Instagram page.
He said that Gabriel spends hours making beautiful wooden bowls and chopping boards but had been left ‘heartbroken’ by his peers ‘taking the p*ss out of him’.
The youngster has self-taught himself the craft so that he can sell his items and save up to buy his own mountain bike.
Gabriel thanking his new followers for their support. Credit: Instagram, @clarkie_woodwork
Within days of his dad’s heartfelt message, Gabriel has racked up a whopping quarter of a million followers – and counting.
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And the young lad’s response is pretty touching too.
He’s chosen to take his new-found Instagram fame and use it to raise money for the humanitarian effort in Ukraine.
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Gabriel has crafted a beautiful wooden bowl, etched with a blue and yellow ring (the colours of the Ukraine flag), which he’ll auction off to the highest bidder – and all the money will go to charity.
Gabriel’s Ukraine bowl
Young woodworker Gabriel’s talent has gone viral. Credit: Instagram, @clarkie_woodwork
He posted a thank you video on his Clarkie_woodwork account, saying the surge in support ‘really means a lot to me’.
He also stressed that he was going to struggle to keep up with demand, because he also has ‘school and homework’ to contend with.
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Richard’s original post said: “Lovely twitter people – I don’t know how many of you are also #instagram users but I’m looking for a wee favour. I’ve a 12yr old who loves woodwork. He spends hours on his lathe making bowls and creating chopping boards which he’s sells to save up for a mountain bike.
“He’s created himself an instagram page to proudly show what he can do. Only the little ***** at his school have found out he’s only got a handful of follows and are now taking the piss out of him and ridiculing the thing he most loves. He’s heartbroken.
“So I was wondering if any of you fancied giving him a boost and following him on instagram at clarkie_woodwork it would make his day. Thanks in advance and feel free to retweet!”
He later wrote: “Well twitter ‘you were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off’. I was hoping for 60 followers not 40k! You’re all lovely crazy soppy fools. Serious karma & social media at its best.”
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What a lovely tale and what a talented young man.
Featured image:Twitter, @rclarkie
News
First look at Albert Square as Manchester Christmas Markets return to their spiritual home
Thomas Melia
Manchester Christmas Markets are back and all our Christmas wishes have come true, as its spiritual home Albert Square joins in on the festivities for the first time in six years.
Grab a mulled wine, toast yourself a marshmallow and take a seat, because we’re going to take you on a quick tour of this brand-new offering.
You’ll be able to tick off your Christmas Markets wish list in one place, as Manchester has got all your usual favourites and so much more taking place right here outside of its iconic Town Hall.
As soon as you walk in you’re greeted by a huge sign spelling out the city’s iconic abbreviation ‘MCR’, just in case you forgot where you were, that also doubles as a nice photo opportunity.
Albert Square in Manchester city centre is getting into the Christmas spirit for the first time in six years / Credit: The Manc Group
As you walk into Albert Square there’s a mix of nostalgic wooden huts and brightly coloured modern street food vendor stations waiting to tempt you with all their tasty treats.
There’s no messing around at this Christmas hotspot because not even 10 feet after you enter, you can warm up with a glühwein and bratwurst, yes please.
Think you’re done sampling some festive feasts? Think again as there’s a marshmallow toasting station, a roasted chestnut cart and lots of huts are offering their own hot chocolate creations.
Local street food vendor Rita’s Reign has made her mark in Albert Square too, serving up her foodie feasts with a seasonal spin such as the ‘Festive Feast’ and ‘Christmas Crunch’ combo boxes.
Rita’s Reign is just one of many food vendors at Manchester Christmas Markets / Credit: The Manc Group
As you keep making your way round there’s some lovely gifts and trinkets to browse including tree decorations, ornaments and some vibrant pieces of art.
There’s plenty of ways to keep the kids (and big kids) entertained with some carnival-themed games and stalls as well as a vintage carousel, if that doesn’t get you in the Christmas spirit what else will?
Of course, there’s even more food to mention like mini dutch pancakes, toasted sandwiches, French toast, the list is endless (Much like many of our Christmas lists).
And we couldn’t finish our visit without acknowledging the elephant in the room, also known as The Manchester Big Wheel, which is the perfect people-watching spot, but maybe hop on this ride before you try all the tasty treats mentioned above.
Drivers warned of ‘bad habit’ that could land them with £1,000 fines this winter
Emily Sergeant
Drivers are being warned of a ‘bad habit’ on the roads that could seem them hit with hefty fines as winter rolls around.
Once the temperatures drop, and the days get shorter and darker, fog tends to become a more common weather occurrence around this time of year – but an eye-opening new survey has found that most drivers don’t really how to use their fog lights correctly.
According to guidance from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), fog lights should only be used on British roads when visibility drops below 100 metres, yet the new research by eBay has found that 60% of drivers use their fog lights at the wrong times, and what’s more is that one in 10 say they switch on their fog lights when visibility is less than 300 metres.
48% of drivers who took part in the research admitted that they activate full-beam headlights when it’s dark, regardless of oncoming traffic and other road users.
Drivers are being warned of a ‘bad habit’ that could land them with £1,000 fines this winter / Credit: Nabeel Syed (via Unsplash)
The RAC says these stats reveal a ‘worrying trend’ among motorists, and have warned that these habits could actually means drivers are risking fines of up to £1,000 and three penalty points on their licence.
If the incorrect usage of fog lights wasn’t bad enough as it is, the new research also found that many Brits say they do not stay on-top of regular car maintenance when it comes to car fog lights, either – with just 15% saying they check them every month, and shockingly, 24% stating they’ve never checked them before.
Due to the ongoing issue of headlight glare, in whatever form that may be, The RAC has found that as many as one in four drivers (25%) who find headlights ‘too bright’ are actually driving less as a result.
“Unfortunately for a lot of drivers, the annual onset of darker evenings coincides with another unwelcome arrival – that of overly-bright headlights that they believe make driving more difficult due to dazzle and discomfort,” explained Rod Dennis, who is the Senior Policy Officer at the RAC.
“While most of us have no choice other than to adapt to driving at night more often as the clocks go back, the fact headlight glare is the leading cause of nervousness underlines it’s a problem that needs tackling.
“At the same time, it’s important to remember that brighter headlights can give drivers a better view of the road ahead, so there’s a balance to be struck.”
Daisy Jackson -
29th March 2022 
