Much-loved regional retailer, For The Love of the North, is hosting a "Secret Art Sale", hosted by Steph McGovern, to raise essential funds for The Bay Food Bank in Whitley Bay.
The event, held at Spanish City, will take place over the weekend of 13-15 October selling work from over 25 well-known local artists, who have all donated a piece of work to the collection. Each piece will be priced at £50, with the name of the artist only being revealed after purchase. All sales will be donated to The Bay Foodbank to allow them to continue their vital work.
The Secret Art Sale will open on Friday 13 October with a free preview evening hosted by local broadcaster Steph McGovern who is a trustee of the Foodbank, the artwork will then be opened to the public for purchase across the weekend. The preview event is a chance for guests to have their first choice of the amazing artwork on display and enjoy a drink arrival. Further refreshments are available to purchase throughout the night.
Artists who have donated their work include Ali Elly, an environmental artist and creator of the ‘Under the Waves’ Shaun the Sheep sculpture which can be found on Newcastle’s West Road, textile artist Jane Jackson and Darlington based Jonny Lancaster, who captures the beauty of iconic places right here in the region with contemporary designs.
Lucy Hull, who co-founded For The Love of the North with her husband Paul said, “This is a fantastic opportunity to get a unique piece of art and support a local charity which is close to our heart. Some of the artists who have donated work sell their work for thousands of pounds; this is a rare opportunity for both new and established creators to showcase their work and for art fans to snap up a bargain.
“In 2023 we aim to donate over a year’s worth of meals to the Bay Foodbank and, alongside the Secret Art Sale, with every adult piece of clothing we sell we donate one day’s worth of food. We are well ahead of our goal and have already donated over 650 meals so far this year.”
“We have a longstanding relationship with the charity, we have seen the increased need in North Tyneside and knew that we wanted to do something really meaningful to support the incredible work that they do. We spoke to Jackie and the team about what would add the most value, and with the dramatic increase in people accessing their services and food donations decreasing in recent months, this commitment seemed like the best way to make a lasting impact.
“From the very beginning, we wanted to be a business for good, that means being fair to our artists, being a real living employer, using sustainable and ethical products, and being an active part of our community. As a business we are committed to supporting our local community. The people of the North East have given us such fantastic support, they want us to do well and this is our way of giving back to our neighbors when they need us. We don’t want to just be a store or a website, we want to make a difference and keep our community at the heart of everything that we do.”
Earlier this year Lucy and Paul pledged to donate a full day of meals to someone in financial crisis, for every adult garment sold through 2023. A day’s worth of food for a person in financial crisis costs the food bank approximately £4.50 and as of September 2023, Lucy and Paul have donated over £1000 from adult clothing sales in-store and online, after working with local artists to create designs for sweatshirts and t-shirts.
The Bay Foodbank serves the whole of North Tyneside and is one of the North East’s busiest foodbanks, where a typical day can see anywhere from 30-50 emergency food parcels delivered to people who need them. Around 30% percent of clients who use the service are working and a lot of people are now being forced to use the service after working their whole lives and now falling on hard times. Food parcels are delivered to families in need using unmarked vans, using supermarket carrier bags, so they look just like a regular supermarket delivery.
Booking is essential for the preview event, free tickets are available at www.eventbrite.com
You can find out more about The Bay Foodbank and the items that they currently need here: www.thebayfoodbank.org.uk