Founder of #WillDoes charity gets surprise visit by BBC’s The One Show

#Willdoes founder Lesley Paddy was shocked and honoured to receive the One Big Thank You from BBC’s The One Show in February.

Every week the chat show programme singles out someone who's gone the extra mile to help others in their community and last week that person was Lesley.

Lesley set up the #Willdoes charity which supports young people in 2019 after the sudden tragic death of her son Will. Since then she has worked tirelessly alongside committee members and local volunteers to host a wide range of events in order to raise money to fund projects that support young people in Dorset.

Lesley had no idea The One Show had chosen to recognise her courage and determination and had attended an event at the RAC Saddle Club in Bovington expecting to be filmed by students making a film about the charity. 

Lesley was told that an artist, Adebanji Alade, would sketch a picture of Socks, her son Will’s pony. However, Adebanji surprised Lesley by drawing a portrait of her and telling her she had really been filmed by The One Show in recognition of her work. 

An emotional Lesley was lost for words but quickly regained her composure to thank all those who have helped the charity raise so much money and support her in her quest to prevent others endure the sadness of losing someone close too early.

You can watch this amazing moment on the video below.