An eight-year-old boy from Lifton has raised more than £1,000 after making it his mission to do his part to prevent homelessness this winter.

Fraser Stainer and his family went on a trip to London during October half-term. While on the trip, Fraser became upset when he saw so many homeless people on the streets with signs exclaiming how hungry they were. Moved by what he had seen, Fraser decided to help those in need by giving them the snacks he had packed for the trip. From then on, he packed his bag each morning with fruit and biscuits to give to those he saw on the streets.

Wanting to do even more, Fraser saw the charity Crisis advertising their programme which houses someone homeless over Christmas for just £29.07.

Fraser’s mother, Laura explained: “Starting this challenge Fraser was excited about the prospect of raising £29.07 which is enough for a homeless person to have shelter over the Christmas period, hot meals and a Christmas lunch, support to get off the streets as well as access to mental health and well-being programmes.”

However, Fraser didn’t stop there. He received a number of donations from local businesses.

Strawberry Fields provided free range eggs, Tesco donated other ingredients necessary for his brownies, as well as prizes for Fraser’s chocolate tombola he is holding at his primary school Christmas fair, Lifton Stores donated some flour, butter and sugar alongside The Arundell in Lifton who have donated some chocolate for his brownies and have allowed him to sell his brownies in their Deli.

Now three weeks into his fundraising, Fraser has raised more than £1,000, enough to help 30 homeless people over the Christmas period. Determined to raise even more, Fraser has also completed a sponsored silence at school.

Richard Lee, director of fundraising at Crisis said: “We want to say a massive and heartfelt thank you to Fraser for his incredible efforts in raising so much money for Crisis. It’s because of people like him that we’re able to provide year-round support to our members and help them end their homelessness for good.

“Fraser’s right – it can be really distressing to see people being forced to sleep on the streets with nowhere safe or warm to stay. But imagine for a second that that’s what you’re going through this winter. It’s unimaginably tough.

“At Crisis we work tirelessly to provide vital help so that people can rebuild their lives and put homelessness behind them, and any money that we receive is spent carefully to make sure we’re doing all that we can to help people.

“This Christmas, with the cost of living crisis pushing thousands more people into homelessness, donations like Fraser’s are more important than ever. If we all shared Fraser’s compassion and determination, we really could make homelessness a thing of the past.”

To support Fraser in his mission, visit his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fraser-stainer