Gosport man raises almost £1,000 for local charities by selling homemade fudge

Paul Lees has already raised almost £1,000 for local charities by selling his homemade fudge – and plans to keep making it as long as people are buying it.

Paul first started making fudge in November and was encouraged to start selling by friends and family after posting his creations on Instagram.

Paul said: ‘I looked up a Christmas fudge recipe, made it and posted it on my Instagram and Facebook. People started messaging me asking whether they’d be able to buy it.

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‘Obviously I work and don’t need the money so I thought whatever profits I make, I’ll just donate to charity. I was speaking to my husband Andy and I said to him “it would be so nice to make a difference one box of fudge at a time”.

‘It was a lightbulb moment of ‘that's got to be the name. I’ve priced it all so that it’s not too expensive and I wanted it to be that everyone can afford to buy a box of fudge. It’s a nice treat but by them buying one they’re actually paying it forward to someone else as a donation as well as having something for themselves.

‘Every single week, it's just really organically grown and I’ve been able to make a donation every single Monday since I started it. I’ve been able to highlight a real variety of services that are available; whether its food banks, youth services, a local cancer charity.

‘It's been the most amazing thing to do and it’s just really highlighted how lovely people are with how many people volunteer to provide all these services.’

Paul, who has been a performing musician for many years under the name Paul Andreas, gained a food hygiene certificate in order to make ‘One Box of Fudge’ official. The 36-year-old plans to raise as much money as he can and has already made more than 300 boxes of fudge.

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One Box of Fudge offers free delivery in Gosport but has also posted fudge across the UK. Procceeds have gone to charities like Sophie’s Legacy, Andy’s Man Club Gosport, and Harbour Cancer Support Support Centre.

The idea first came about when Paul was recovering from a serious injury he sustained on a fairground ride in October 2022. He began working from home a lot more and found the process of fudge-making a ‘therapeutic’ passtime.

He added: ‘I was in excruciating pain for the first six weeks. It just became this really nice focus for me and really helped me get through that moment. It couldn’t have come at a better time for me but it literally came out of nowhere.’

He has set his sights on a £3000 target and hopes to celebrate with a ‘big party’ with donors and volunteers if this milestone is reached.

Paul’s fudge comes in more than 10 flavours including vanilla, salted caramel and rum and raisin. Each box has a QR code with a link to some of Paul’s music including his brand new single ‘Love Me.’