The beautiful mermaid tails, from The Great Tail Trail, have raised vital funds for children’s hospice care.
The Great Tail Trail’s Grand Auction, took place on Friday 20th June, at the stunning Italian Villa in Compton Acres. The auction sold 48 mermaid tails, which raised an absolutely fantastic £200,600 for Julia’s House Children’s Hospice Charity!
All the mer-mazing tails on display at Compton Acres
The tails were part of a free public art trail throughout Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole this spring. More than 5,172 people downloaded The Great Tail Trail app, collecting 137,819 tails between them as they covered a staggering 16,118 miles in total. Each sculpture was sponsored by a local business and given a unique and colourful design by an acclaimed artist.
Almost 100 guests attended the grand auction, to delight in all the sculptures on display. Public Fundraising Manager for Julia’s House, Laura Maidment, said it was an incredible night.
“We are absolutely overwhelmed and delighted that the tails have raised such a fantastic amount for Julia’s House – and it’s really exciting to see them go off to their new homes!
“All our bidders, whether in person or as part of the online auction, have been unbelievably generous and shown so much support.
“We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved, especially our partners, sponsors, artists, schools, and community groups, anyone who has enjoyed visiting the trail this spring and of course our successful bidders!”
The Great Tail Trail was an amazing fundraiser for Julia’s House. Not only did it raise an incredible amount of money for the charity, but it also bought awareness to their vital work.
The money raised from the trail app, Farewell Weekend, and auction will make a massive difference to the every day lives of the children and family who Julia’s House supports.
Guests enjoying the beautiful evening
Tails Under the Hammer!
The 48 designs which were available at auction, all offered something different to bidders. Many of the tails depicted local or coastal scenes, and some featured wildflowers or animals in nature. There was also pop art, illustrations, friendly children’s characters, and even some jewel-encrusted, sparkling mermaid tails!
Ebony Robinson, Julia’s House young ambassador, joined the bidders as well. Moomaid, designed by Isobel Letham, event went home with her!
The auction was led by professional auctioneer Charlie Ross, presenter of BBC TV’s Bargain Hunt. Ross created an electric atmosphere in the bidding room, as tails went under the hammer and bidders battled it out for their favourite designs.
Charlie Ross leading the Grand Auction
Shell-ebrating Local Artists!
Overall, the trail involved more than 40 professional artists, 45 sponsors, and 43 local schools and community groups.
At just 14 years old, Morgan (MorganGMakes) was the youngest artist on the trail, and he designed the Tailtanic. People were so impressed with his design that he was commissioned to paint a new one. Wild in Art, a partner of The Great Tail Trail, bought a blank sculpture, and invited Morgan to paint it on the spot!
Tailtanic
Trail artist, Judy Guillery (Judee Tree Art) said, “It has been a wonderful experience for my son Morgan and I to be involved in another sculpture trail for Julia’s House. We think what they do is invaluable, especially having visited the hospices, meeting the care staff and a lot of the families who rely on them.
The auction was the most incredible end to our Great Tail Trail journey, seeing the tails in the stunning location of Compton Acres. Charlie Ross made the evening fly by with his charming good humour as auctioneer. When Morgan’s sculpture went under the hammer he had the whole room singing ‘Yellow Submarine’! Such an amazing night!”
The evening’s top tails were Oceana, designed by Gill Prendergast and Growing Together, which went for an impressive £10,500. The AFC Bournemouth mermaid tail, designed by AUB student, I’Eisha Haywood, raised an outstanding £17,500!
The Mermaid’s Tale
The most collected sculpture was When the Waves Come by LUCANART. The most popular sculpture was The Mermaids Tale, a beautiful Tiffany-glass style mermaid tail by Glen Brooks of Studio Glen.
Finally, Maidment reflected on the vital support received from the local community.
“The kind of local community support that the trail has generated continues to be critical to our future, ensuring we can continue to provide care and support to the families that rely on us. Without the support of the local community, Julia’s House wouldn’t exist.”
Discover more about how Julia’s House supports seriously ill children and their families at www.juliashouse.org