7 Year Old’s Dream Trampoline Den Brought To Life

Jake Fielden, from Aylesbury, got the surprise of this life when he returned home from school to discover his dream den had been built in his back garden.

Jake entered our Dream Den competition in support of Save The Children’s Den Day campaign, with a fantastic hand drawn design, all to be fitted in under his trampoline. The Design a Dream Den competition was supported by former skeleton racer and Olympic gold medallist, Amy Williams MBE, and Jamie Baulch, former 400m world indoor champion and Olympic 4x400m relay champion. The pair also posted special video messages of congratulations to Jake on their Twitter pages.

The seven-year-old is the winner’s prize was to have his dream den built as a full size structure. Jake’s den, which measures around three metres in diameter, is made up of a trampoline under which Papa John’s has kitted out all of his favourite things; a sweet shop, pool table, Xbox games console, music area and bean bag bed. On the outside, there’s a basketball net and a slide – making it the ultimate summer hideaway.

Jake designed the den specifically for him to enjoy with his two brothers, and accessibility was a key factor as his brothers are disabled. Thoughtfully he had included special areas within the den for his two brothers, including a Paw Patrol area for his younger brother Eric, aged 4 and a disco area for his elder brother Dan, aged 10.

The den was built through-out the day whilst Jake was at school completely unaware of the work being completed  in his own back yard. The family were all very excited and couldn’t wait for Jake to get home and see the surprise, and the wait was worth it! Jake’s mum, Georgina Fielden, said: “Jake got the shock of his life when he came home from school to find his den design brought to life in the back garden. He absolutely loves it and what’s more it’s a place that he can enjoy with his two brothers, something that’s so important to him.”

Save the Children’s ‘Den Day’, a super-fun family fundraiser which invites the British public to unleash their imaginations and build their ultimate den and get creative for a good cause. By getting sponsored to spend a day or night in their den, families can raise money to help Save the Children build better lives for young people around the world.

Vicky Fallon, head of fundraising campaigns at Save the Children, said: “Congratulations to Jake for winning the Papa John’s Dream Den competition. We love his creative design and it goes to show that children have fantastic imaginations. We hope that Jake and his family enjoy spending lots of time in their den!”

Andrew Gallagher, director of marketing for Papa John’s UK, added: “You can tell that Jake spent a lot of time on his design. That’s why it was really important for us to be as true to his design as possible. The den looks fantastic and I think Jake’s mum is going to have a tough time getting him and his brothers to leave it!”

Well done Jake, we absolutely love your Dream Den and hope you thoroughly enjoy it with all your family.