Max heads the cast in 'Perform for Pudsey' push for Children In Need 2022

Jewish youngster whose father died two years ago is asking fellow performers to upload their talents in aid of national fundraiser

A 12-year-old whose father died two years ago has taken the reins of a Children In Need fundraising initiative and put a call-out for all young performers to help raise money.

Max Bloom, a Year 8 student at Immanuel College who is an actor and drummer, is performing on Friday to honour his late father Darren, who died from complications arising from testicular cancer.

By Wednesday morning Max, who lives in Finchley, had doubled his target of £500 for the annual Children In Need fundraiser, having taken over the PerformForPudsey platform, which had been run by his friend Sam Head.

Max, who has performed both in films and in the West End, met Sam while filming in Cornwall, and now wants other young performers to upload a short performance of themselves on the day, using the social media tags it ‘#PerformforPudsey’ and ‘#BBCChildrenInNeed’ and donate whatever they can.

“This is not just for professional performers,” said his mum, Janine. “It can be thirty seconds of telling a joke or reciting a nursery rhyme just for the fun of it. I have so much pride for what Max is doing. I hope people donate as much as they can but we know times are hard.”

Max said: “I want to help other people who are less fortunate than me and to perform because I love to perform. I am definitely following in Dad’s footsteps and think he’d say well done.”

Donations can be made HERE