Bidding Battles At St Michael & All Angels Art Auction

Livia Firth loses out on her chosen work of art, but all in a good cause

Writer and broadcaster Polly Devlin outbid Livia Firth for the Christmas Jumper picture (below) by artist Penny Madden (whose husband is John Madden, the film director) at the St Michael & All Angels Advent Calendar Art Auction last weekend.

Livia bid £220, Polly bid £250. Livia said; “I’m so happy you raised so much for it.”

The highest bid was £300 for Francis Bowyer’s painting, Christmas at St Michael & All Angels. It was bought by Jonathan Dods, the director of music at St Michael’s.

Marguerite Horner’s painting of the Eritrean Church, in the Jungle Camp at Calais, was bought by Vanessa Costello, chairman of Southfield Conservatives, for £210.

Christmas at St Michael & All Angels - Francis Bowyer

The total sales income was over £2,500. All the artists kindly donated at least a third of the price to the Christmas Charity Appeal - and some gave all the money - so it raised more than £1,000 for the Appeal.

Father Kevin Morris, vicar of St Michael & All Angels, said “We are delighted the auction went so well and very grateful to all the artists and the bidders for their generosity.”

The 24 artists are generously donating at least a third of the sale price to the Christmas Appeal, in aid of the three St Michael’s charities for 2017:
- The Upper Room, feeding the community in need in West London;
- Msaada, helping people in Rwanda become self-sufficient; and
- The Amber Trust, helping blind children fulfil their potential through music.

Sponsorship income from the online Advent Calendar will also go to the Appeal. All the pages were sponsored by Chiswick businesses, including ChiswickW4.com, Foster Books, Andrew Nunn & Associates, Fingertips and Belinda Norcliffe Casting.

January 20, 2018