Type-1 Diabetes research charity, Breakthrough T1D, formerly known as JDRF, has received an early Christmas gift, in the form of a donation from Scottish teenage entrepreneur and long-time supporter of the charity, Mitchell Carling.

At the beginning of the year, shortly after his sixteenth birthday, Mitchell made headlines when he announced that he had completed a deal on his first investment venture, buying a popular sports bar in Benalmadena, Spain. Keen to spread his family’s commitment to Breakthrough T1D, Mitchell launched a match-day initiative to raise funds for the organisation at his bar.

Generous punters of his establishment, Bar None, have been donating money, totalling £1,500, which Mitchell has now handed over to the charity to support their activities. Mitchell, and his family’s involvement in fundraising for this organisation started when his younger sister, Blaire, was diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes in early 2019. In addition to funds his parents, Graeme and Leanne Carling have donated, Mitchell has raised tens of thousands of pounds for the organisation, which is dedicated to finding a cure, and significantly improving the lives of all those living with Type-1.

Speaking of his latest donation Mitchell commented; “Breakthrough T1D is a special organisation, and one that means a lot to my family, and thousands of others like us. I’ve proudly raised a lot of money for the charity over the past few years, and it’s amazing that we’ve found a way for my first business venture to get involved. To everyone who has visited us at Bar None in Spain, and supported our efforts by donating money, I thank you all.”

Mitchell’s solo fundraising efforts for the organisation started in 2022 when he shocked Rangers FC fans Worldwide by opting to selflessly raffle his two tickets to the Europa League Final, raising over £45,000, which was spilt between Breakthrough T1D, and Caudwell Children, another organisation supported by the Carling family. Having seen how much good could be done through the ticket raffle, Mitchell re-played the generous act this Summer by raffling his two tickets to Scotland’s opening match against Germany at the European Championships, raising another £8,000.

Despite managing to secure what might be one of the most sought-after tickets of the year, a teenage charity fundraiser has decided to raffle his tickets to the opening game of the Euro 2024 football tournament between Scotland and hosts Germany, to launch a campaign to raise funds for two separate children’s charities, JDRF and Caudwell Children.