A Bournemouth runner hopes that her re-creation of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air video will help her raise £1,650 for mental health charity Mind. Laura Edmonds, 30, who lost her father to a mental health illness last year, will take part in the London Marathon in less than six weeks.
A bake sale was not an option this time. Instead, Laura has rewritten the lyrics and created a music video to the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme tune, the 1990s US sitcom featuring Will Smith, changing it to the “Queen of a Long Run in Fresh Air”. She says, “I wanted it to be something that was fun and people my age could relate to.
“I honestly don’t know how the idea came to me. I woke up at 4am and the lines ‘my life turned upside down’ were resonating in my head. I googled the words to the song there and then and wrote the lyrics in the middle of the night.”
“I honestly don’t know how the idea came to me. I woke up at 4am and the lines ‘my life turned upside down’ was resonating in my head.” – Laura Edmonds
Laura explained that creating the music video was a lengthy process but that writing the lyrics was the easy part. She had to find someone who had the equipment to make the video as well as someone to do the graphics, think of her costumes and props for each scene, find a location, and edit it.
Several scenes take place on Bournemouth and Poole beaches as she raps, “In Bournemouth town I was born and raised, on the beach is where I spent most of my days.”
Shock
Mind is a charity close to Laura’s heart after her father, who suffered from bipolar disorder, took his own life last year. She says, “It’s a really worthwhile charity and it’s a way for me to channel my shock and sadness at what has been a truly terrible experience into something positive.”
Laura has previously raised money for Mind by hosting a charity ball at Bournemouth’s Parley Manor last year which raised over £22,000. The Mind Matters Charity Ball auctioned a week’s stay at a villa in Florida, a signed Manchester United football and a champagne lunch for two aboard a 38ft yacht.
Of the £1,650 Laura needs to raise, the video has helped her make £825 so far. She says, “I’ve had a really positive response from it and I know that there are lots of people who still intend to donate having seen the video. It has brought it to people’s attention who probably wouldn’t otherwise have donated.”
Events Coordinator at Mind, Alexa Hawkins-Bell, said, “We are so proud of Laura and all of her hard work in supporting Mind, especially making such an amazing and creative video that is an inspiration to all of Laura’s supporters and other fundraisers. We thought Laura’s video was fresh, fun and innovative whilst also championing the work at Mind.”
