A high school student who launched her own art business at 13-years-old, is selling her drawings to fund a mission trip to Nepal.

Lucy Hulme, 15, is on a mission to raise as much as possible so she can fund a trip to Nepal where she would be teaching at Subhakamana School in Kathmandu in partnership with her school, St Mary’s Catholic Academy in Blackpool.

The year-11 student studies GCSEs in Fine Art and Photography and has decided to put her creativity to a good cause by commissioning her hand drawn prints of Blackpool’s skyline to put towards her trip to Nepal.

After her application to volunteer at the Nepal school was accepted, Lucy now has to raise £2,500 to before July 2023.

Speaking on why she is so passionate about the trip, Lucy said: “It’s a combination of wanted to give and also wanting to experience new cultures and build my confidence. But ultimately, I want to understand what it would be like to teach.”

During lockdown, Lucy and her little brother Arthur set up their own business, Arty and Loops, selling a mixture of jewellery and prints, after the siblings started creating art for close friends and family members during the pandemic.

Since then, Lucy and her younger brother have built up the business and started selling at Crafts Fairs.

Lucy said: “I’ve always enjoyed art and being creative and I’ve been doing it most my life so I thought it would be a good idea to try and make money from doing something that I love.

“Art makes me happy and it can cheer people up and help people express themselves and it’s just a really helpful tool.”

Lucy’s mum, Holly Hulme said: “Lucy has always been a charitable person who just wants to help people which is why she applied for this trip to Nepal.

“She had to fill out an application detailing how she would fund the trip so she spoke all about her art and the business and the school accepted her.

“Every day after school, she’ll sit down after she’s finished her homework and just draw. For her, drawing and making art is like her sanctuary, it’s where she can be creative because she’s always been a creative and imaginative person.”

Lucy has raised £400 so far by selling prints in a range of different sizes starting at £5 for an A5 print and £20 for a framed print.

You can purchase a print from Lucy and Arthur’s business page on Facebook – Arty & Loops.