Postcard art auction gives £6,800 boost to homeless youths

A postcard art auction has raised more than £6,800 in a bid to help young homeless people in Edinburgh.

Rock Trust’s three-week ‘Between a Rock and an Art Place’ ballot has seen 162 donated bitesize pieces of art go under the hammer from 97 well-known contributing artists.

‘Girl in Hat’ by Edinburgh-based artist Stephen Mangan topped the billing at the city’s Summerhall, raking in £466 after 138 bids poured in at the auction.

Stephanie Rew’s ‘Profile in Gold’ and Alison Watt’s ‘Bare’ also proved popular with bidders as the charity raised £6,862.

Artist Avril Paton, who rose to prominence with her 1993 Glasgow tenement painting ‘Windows in the West’, also featured in the exhibition, which is the charity’s sixth, while Lynn Hanley’s contribution also attracted a rush of bids.

Proceeds from the auction will go towards Rock Trust’s work with 16 to 25-year-olds in the Scottish capital and the Lothians as they attempt to prevent youth homelessness and support vulnerable young people.

Established in 1991, the group offer more than 50 bed spaces each night to homeless youngsters across the region.

Madeline Cross, Rock Trust’s fundraising and events co-ordinator, said: “Yet again we have to thank the generosity of the artists involved, our venue host Summerhall, and everyone who came down to view and bid on these mini masterpieces.

“Our supporters are the bedrock of everything we do and we can’t thank them enough for raising a fantastic total which will go towards supporting Edinburgh’s most vulnerable individuals.”

Rock Trust are now looking to celebrate the impact of their work over the last 12 months at Scottish Parliament in September with an event hosted by Ben Macpherson MSP.

The charity will also be holding their annual Homelessness Sleep Out in Edinburgh’s Festival Square on November 3.