A 13-year-old Sherborne student has smashed not only his target hours for his Duke of Edinburgh award – he has also more than quadrupled his original fundraising goal.

Gryphon student Ben Molineux, from Templecombe, was asked to carry out 12 hours of volunteering for the bronze award at the rate of at least one hour per week for three months.

Instead, he has spent more than 50 hours raising money for Somerset’s Secret World Wildlife Rescue, and raised more than £1,000.

Ben has been collecting donated items and selling them at car boot sales, as well as collecting donations from the local community.

He has set up a Just giving account with an initial fundraising target of £250, which he later changed to £1,000. After an appeal on social media for items to sell, Ben spent time collecting donations, sorting them, and selling them to raise much needed funds. Ben also handmade popular dog toys by upcycling fleece blankets and created bags of dog biscuits, hay, straw, and bird seed to sell. He created several upcycled bird feeders, using unwanted ceramic items, to sell locally.

The final amount raised is awaiting confirmation by Secret World due to several collection tins waiting to be added up by the team. Although the final amount is yet to be revealed, as of today the total on Ben’s Just giving account (justgiving. com/fundraising/ben- molineux) is £1,092. One of the car boot sales raised an astounding £263.

Ben has decided to continue fundraising and being an advocate for Secret World Wildlife Rescue. He has set up a permanent information point and collection tin in his local café in Templecombe, the Jasmine & Bay.

The café also sold maps of the village designed by Ben’s mum to raise more funds.

Ben successfully completed a Wildlife First Aid course during September, in a step towards become a wildlife first responder when he turns 18.

During half-term Ben met with the fundraising manager and a team of volunteer wildlife keepers. He spent time with the birds of prey and resident wildlife, followed by a tour of the newly built wildlife hospital at their East Huntspill site. Secret World rewarded Ben with a hedgehog adoption to say thank you.