As an English teacher, I probably ought to be able to write the world's greatest crowdfunding story. A story littered with funny anecdotes, witticisms and a healthy amount of emotional blackmail. If I mix these elements in just the right way, I may even convince you to donate some of your hard-earned cash to help support what appears to be my never-ending journey into the world of academia. However, the likelihood is that I'll overcook it, leaving you with more pennies in your bank account and fewer pennies in mine. Oh well, let's give it a go...

If you're on this page, you've probably seen that I'm running free tuition to help students get back on track with their studies post-COVID. Whilst I am doing this at no cost to anyone attending, I'm hopeful that my charm, charisma and questionable good looks may make people feel compelled to support my studies as well. Oh yeah, my qualifications and knowledge of the exam specification may also play a key role.

But what's the money for? And why is the target amount set so outrageously high?

Well, you would be right to think to yourself: what does this long-haired, chino-wearing, slightly rotund man need £9k for? For goodness sake, he's studying at Cambridge! Surely, he has all the money in the world? Maybe he could just cut back on the cake?

Short answer: No. I wish!

Firstly, I need the cake. Teaching, PhDing, Tesco delivery driving, first-time dading all require an aggressive amount of sugar to keep going. I've always been an emotional eater: sadness, boredom, indifference, happiness. Whatever the emotion is, I'm going to find a way to justify my sixth custard cream biscuit (speaking of which...)

Secondly, funding at Cambridge - yes, even at Cambridge - is highly competitive. When COVID-19 hit, it hit the world of academia hard. My project (looking at students' attitudes to reading aloud in the classroom) looked set to secure the funding required. However, funding pots have started to reduce, as the uncertainty of what lies ahead becomes clearer. It's a difficult time for everyone, and therefore when I found out that the funding I thought would come my way was not going to materialise, I wasn't at all surprised.

Go on then, you cable-knit loving fool, how are you going to justify setting your target at £9k?

Well, yes, that is quite some target, eh? My thinking is that if I can pay off one year of my PhD through crowdfunding, I will have really made a dent in the mountain of debt that chasing a dream clearly costs! It wouldn't cover everything, but it would help a lot. We'll see how we get on, I guess.

Thirdly, I'm proper working-class: a full-on, die-hard, working-class lad. I live in a little three-bed semi-detached house with a dog, cat, two sisters, my partner and our newborn son. The Hewitt household is a busy household, although one filled with a whole lot of love. Whilst we just about make ends meet, my bank balance, which is as red as a sunburnt zebra, can testify one thing: like many people out there, we're certainly not rolling in it... Not helped by the lack of maternity leave payments, it must be said.

My life is mental. This is clear for everyone to see. I'm a workaholic. This is also true. That said, I'm determined, frightfully stubborn and hold myself to impossibly high standards. Qualities that will ensure I succeed on the PhD and offer outstanding sessions to those who sign up to the "Free English Language GCSE AQA Tuition with Mr Hewitt" page.

https://www.facebook.com/HewittTutoring/?view_public_for=101768218590803

Phew! It all got a bit serious at that last moment...

In summary: donate... I'm poor.

With love and support,

Ashley (otherwise known as 'Mr Hewitt').