PENGUINS have found their forever homes while raising a flippin’ fantastic £330,000 for St Richard’s Hospice.
The great Waddle of Worcester captured the hearts of the community and attracted thousands of visitors this summer.
And more than 200 guests turned out to an auction, sponsored by Hawksmoor Investment Management and hosted by DRPG in their Hartlebury studio complex, to bid for one of 41 penguin sculptures to take home.
Hospice spokesperson Sara Matthews said: “It was an incredible night at auction and we’re thrilled our happy huddle raised £330,000 for our care. Once our pop-up shop, raffle and community fundraising is calculated and added in, this will be our most successful art trail ever in terms of funds raised.
“Government funding only covers around 20 per cent of our costs. As a charity it means we need to raise £9.6 million of the £12 million we need to keep vital services running this year for Worcestershire families.
“So, we send a heartfelt thank you to our amazing community for supporting us not just on nights like the auction but each and every day – we simply couldn’t do it without you.”
Over the summer, forty big penguins and forty small paraded through the city’s streets and open spaces in the hospice’s 40th year of care.
All the large penguins and one special chick, Ice-Ickle, went to auction while the remaining 40 penguin chicks returned to the schools and community groups who decorated them as a legacy of the project.
Each penguin sold for between £4,000 and £21,000 with two sculptures achieving £20,000 or more under the hammer.
Bidders came from far and wide with a range of reasons for taking part. For Compco Fire Systems, their motivation was to rescue a penguin who had an eventful art trail experience.
Matt Baker, CEO at Compco Fire Systems, which is a longstanding supporter of St Richard’s, said: “Our business is located close to the riverside where the beautiful Kingfisher Azure was sadly vandalised and thrown into the river. We wanted to bring him home to his rightful place by the river where he can live happily forever.”
