She hopes that postcards designed by the likes of Gilbert and George, Axel Scheffler, Pure Evil, Corky Ball, Victoria Corinne Mitchell and others will allow them to match the £30,000 they raised in 2020.
Sophie Maria Taylor was only 12 years old when she lost her battle with cancer on April 5, 2017.
The beloved and talented student, students and staff of St Richard’s Catholic College are determined to keep her memory alive and to support the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity that has cared for her and her family.
Sophie’s Postcard is an online charity auction of original artwork donated by professional artists, designers, and illustrators, as well as artists from St. Richard’s Catholic College and the general public.
The secret auction is held on eBay and each artist’s identity is kept confidential until the auction ends.
In auctions conducted in 2018 and 2020, they were able to raise a total of £46,000 for the charity. This year they hope that donations from a number of celebrities, including Gilbert and George, Axel Scheffler, Pure Evil, Corky Paul and Victoria Corinne Mitchell, will reach the £30,000 they raised two years ago.
Miranda Pennington, the school’s art teacher, said: “Sophie Maria Taylor was an artistically talented and popular student at St Richard’s Catholic College who lost her battle with cancer in 2017.
“We wanted to do something special to remember her and to celebrate her very short life. Chiara, a classmate and friend of Sophie who has shared her passion for art, came up with the idea of holding a secret postcard for artists at an auction to raise money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, whose hospitalizer has treated Sophie and her family and cared for her while she was ill.
We are now conducting the auction for the third time. In 2018 we had 550 donated postcards and in 2020 more than 1,100. I have written to hundreds of artists asking them to participate Miss Rowlands, an English teacher at St. Richards, has encouraged students to write to celebrities.
“Our social media has grown since we started the auction and I post regularly and ask artists to participate and the site helps. Now the #sophiespostcard has been created with many well known artists associated with the event other artists want to participate in.
“It’s very difficult to say what we are going to collect but if we get to 1,000 postcards, which I think is possible with three weeks left until the artist deadline, it could be possible to raise £30,000 again which is amazing.”
A spokesperson for The Royal Marsden said: “We are very grateful to St Richard’s Catholic College for their continued support of the Royal Oak Center for Children and Youth in Marsden, in memory of Sophie.
“The money raised for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity through Sophie’s Postcard will make a huge difference, as it will help fund world-leading research to develop life-saving treatments for young cancer patients at The Royal Marsden.
“Also thanks to all the talented artists and kind bidders for their generosity. I can’t wait to see all the great artwork this year.”
The art auction will live on eBay for ten days starting June 30, 2022 and ending July 9. All proceeds will go to the Royal Marsden Cancer Foundation. For more information on how to support the school’s efforts, please visit the #sophiespostcard website.
Sophie Maria Taylor was an artistically talented and popular student at St. Richard’s Catholic College who lost her battle with cancer at the age of just 12 on April 5, 2017.
Photo: #sophiespostcards
The first auction started as the staff and disciples wanted to do something special to remember Sophie and to celebrate her very short life
Photo: #sophiespostcards
Sophie’s Postcard is a secret artwork auction to raise money for the Royal Cancer Charity Marsden.
Photo: #sophiespostcard
Artist Keith Poldy’s drawing of Sophie that he did at auction this summer.
Photo: #sophiespostcards
