Purbeck artists are reuniting to help Dorset’s rough sleepers this Christmas following a successful charity art auction in the summer.
More than £40,000 worth of art from 41 creators will be presented at Art4Action’s Christmas online auction, which will run between Friday 4th December and Sunday 13th December 2020.
In June 2020, Malcolm Lewis of Wareham Tower Chimes organised the original online auction to raise money for local charities struggling due to coronavirus.
The event was a roaring success, bringing in £8,828 – 40 percent of which went to the Dorset Coronavirus Community Fund and the Purbeck Art Weeks (PAW) charity and 60 percent going to the local artists.
Following on from this, Art4Action is returning this Christmas to help even more good causes.
Malcolm Lewis of Wareham Tower Chimes said:
“Putting on another Art4Action fundraiser really depended on the success of the first, which I measured not only in how much was raised, but how the artists and of course the general public felt about it.
“Fortunately we had no complaints from either quarter and so we felt confident enough to repeat the event.
“As you can see on the special website we created for the event, there are such a lot of talented artists and crafters in the Purbeck and Dorset area, and from paintings to handmade artworks there’s something to suit most tastes and budgets in the auction.”
Artists from Swanage, including Paul Longland, Samantha Woodford and Katie Heslop are among those selling at the auction.
Art to aid charity
The Christmas art auction is teaming up with Wareham Church Family to help a few local good causes – including the homelessness action group Routes to Roots.
This charity helps provide aid including food, clothing and sleeping bags for rough sleepers and homeless people.
In addition, the auction will also help fund the upkeep of the St Martin in the Walls Church in Wareham.
Malcolm Lewis added:
“In fact, it was because St Martin is known as a patron of the poor that we thought we should also give a good proportion of the money raised to a homeless charity; and what better time is there to do it than at Christmas, especially with the extra burden that coronavirus has brought in its wake this year?”
Bidding in the auction
As is the case with many public events during the ongoing pandemic, this art auction will be held online.
The artwork is available to view on the Art4Action website.
When the auction launches on Friday 4th December 2020, anyone interested can bid to buy a work of art via the bidding platform on the website.
