Auction Raises £6,870 for The Upper Room
Enthusiastic bidding at event organised on behalf of Artists at Home
Hamish Pringle and Simon Take
December 12, 2020
The Artists at Home Christmas Charity Auction has raised £6,870 for The Upper Room after an enthusiastic response from bidders.
Hamish Pringle, who organised the auction on behalf of Artists at Home, handed over the funds to Simon Tuke, Chair of Trustees this week.
Simon said, “We’re enormously grateful for the generosity and support of Artists At Home. The very substantial sum raised is a fantastic result and will make a big difference in helping us to continue supporting the most vulnerable in society, who are going to be facing even bigger challenges over the coming months in the wake of coronavirus.”
Steph Curtis-Raleigh from the Artists at Home Steering Group said, “This is the first time Artists at Home have run an event like this and we are thrilled that it has been so successful. We are so pleased to be able to support The Upper Room, especially at this time of year. This has been a real team effort and it was very exciting indeed to see the bids coming in. Thanks so much to Hamish, Kathryn, the team at Horton and Garton, the artists who donated and the buyers who bid. This gave us all something to smile about after a tough few months!”
Paul Cooney MNAEA, Director, Chiswick Sales at Horton and Garton, the event sponsor, said, “It was an honour to have been able to sponsor the wonderful collaboration of two West London organisations; Artists at Home and The Upper Room, who came together to raise money for the homeless and support local artists at the same time. Following its success, if there’s an appetite to make it an annual pre-Christmas event I would happily sponsor every year in order to continue to support both a local charity and our incredible West London creatives. Such a fantastic result, huge thanks to everyone involved.”
The online auction follows a successful online open studios event launched by Artists (Staying) at Home in June 2020 (which is still running) where artists opened virtual studios to the public via their website www.artistsathome.co.uk.
Over half the42 members of Artists At Home donated 50% of their winning bid, and over a third gave 100% to The Upper Room, which will use the funds to provide hot meals, clothing, toiletries, help with finding and applying for jobs, as well as bilingual counselling for those with mild to moderate mental health issues.
Artists at Home is a West London group founded in 1973, with members across Chiswick, Hammersmith & Shepherd’s Bush. Disciplines include painting, glass-making, ceramics, printmaking, sculpture, photographs, textiles, and jewellery.
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