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Five things you need to know today

November 1, 2014 6:01 am

First Minister Christmas card art raises charity funds

Postcards to raise money for Sick Kids

Garden of Remembrance

Nominate someone for a commemorative plaque

Pie and Beer

The Peter Howson original ‘Artaban’ commissioned for the First Minister’s 2013 charity Christmas card sold earlier this week for £16,000 at a special auction at Glasgow’s Oran Mor.

Since 2007 artwork from the First Minister’s official Christmas cards, has raised more than £168,800 for good causes through sales of the original paintings and limited edition prints. This includes:

2007: John Lowrie Morrison “Snow Falls on Linlithgow”, Who Cares Scotland – £10,000
2008: John Bellany “The Homecoming”, Aberdeen Cyrenians, Islamic Relief, SCIAF, RNLI – £10,000
2009: Gerard Burns “A New Journey”, CLIC Sergeant, Glasgow the Caring City, JACK Foundation, Mary’s Meals – £7,000
2010: Jack Vettriano “Lets Twist Again”, Charities: Bethany Christian Trust, Maggies Cancer Caring Centres, Quarriers, Teenage Cancer Trust £68,000 for original and £18,000 for prints.
2011: Alasdair Gray, “Bella Caledonia”, Charities: CHAS, SCIAF, Glenachiulish Preservation Trust, Save Small Tribes Trust – £4,800
2012: Elizabeth Blackadder, “Flowers” Charities: Sick Kids Friends Fund, Dyslexia Scotland, Breakthrough breast Cancer, Scottish Steelworkers Memorial Fund – £12,000
2013: Peter Howson, “Artaban” Charities: SCIAF, CHAS, Combat Stress and CLIC Sargent – £16,000

The event at Oran Mor celebrated the First Minister’s Christmas card initiative and brought together beneficiaries, charity representatives and artists from previous Christmas cards, as well as buyers and art collectors who are keen to get their hands on a piece of Howson’s work.

Speaking after the auction event the Rt Hon Alex Salmond the First Minister, said:

“Peter Howson’s ‘Artaban’ has raised £16,000 for four individually fantastic causes.

“’Artaban’ is a wonderful painting with a wonderful story attached. Peter should be very proud of the fantastic amount of money he has helped to raise for very deserving organisations – Children’s Hospice Association Scotland; CLIC Sargent; Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund and Combat Stress.

“Since we launched the charity Christmas card initiative in 2007, sales of artwork and prints have raised more than £168,850 for good causes across Scotland.

“Howson is an internationally renowned artist whose work is iconic and I’m delighted he provided the artwork for the 2013 charity Christmas card: there was no doubt ‘Artaban’ would raise a significant sum. I want to thank all artists for donating such incredible artwork over the years – their generosity and compassion has made this all possible.”

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The Sick Kids Friends Foundation (SKFF) is inviting art lovers to discover a unique exhibition where a number of specially commissioned artworks by some of Scotland’s most renowned artists will be sold to raise funds for the children’s charity.

The Postcards for Sick Kids 2014 ‘Small Pictures for Big Projects’ event will exhibit over 100 works of art generously donated by more than 70 distinguished artists and painters from across Scotland and beyond.

Works will be shown at the prestigious Lyon & Turnbull auction house, Edinburgh between Thursday, 6 November and Saturday, 8 November.

Each postcard sized masterpiece will hang anonymously, with the identity of the artist only revealed upon purchase of the postcard. For just £500, attendees will have the opportunity to own one of these truly unique pieces from contributors such as David Michie, Donald Provan, Helga Chart and Jack Knox.

All proceeds will be donated to the Foundation’s Artists in Residence programme at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC) in Edinburgh.

This programme uses art to enrich the hospital environment and promote sick children’s recovery. SKFF fund the provision of art, music and drama therapy and art works around the hospital and have helped employ three long term art residencies within the RHSC, as well as short term creative writer and illustrator posts.

Harnessing the inspiration and strength that art can deliver for children and their families, Artists in Residence is now a comfort to thousands of patients and will be transferred to the new RHSC when it opens in 2017.

Since its launch in 1999, Postcards for Sick Kids exhibitions have raised more than £250,000 in support of the Foundation’s work at the RHSC. The most recent display held in 2012 gathered an impressive £46,500, a target which organisers are hoping to surpass at this year’s event to help further expand the art therapy initiative.

One mother, whose son Noah received treatment at the RHSC following diagnosis of cancer of the soft-tissues behind the eye, has spoken of the benefits the project brings to young patients and their families.

Brenda Duncan said: “At the Sick Kids, children are often stuck in bed for days, weeks even. Their world has been turned upside down and filled with new emotions, fears and insecurities.

“With nothing much to do, stuck in that bed, surely writing and drawing would be a positive way to organise thoughts without really realising it. The encouragement we, as a family, have received from the Artists in Residence has certainly given us confidence in our ideas and abilities.”

Maureen Harrison, chief executive of SKFF, said: “We’re very excited to unveil Postcards for Sick Kids 2014. We’ve been overwhelmed by the response from so many gifted artists who have produced some beautiful pieces for the exhibition.

“Small Pictures for Big Projects is all about people buying an original work of art while helping us fund vital initiatives which help make thousands of sick children feel better.

“The event would not be possible without the help of our corporate partners Lindsays and I am also grateful to Investec, Drambuie Lyon and Turnbull Fastframe for their support.”

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Two serving soldiers visited Princes Street Gardens yesterday to help with the planting of crosses in the Edinburgh Field of Remembrance, in time for the opening this Monday 3 November 2014.

Private Lynsey McNeill and Lance Corporal Arron Kelly from 52^nd Lowland, 6^th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (6 SCOTS) joined the volunteers who have been busy planting thousands of small wooden Remembrance crosses, which will create a huge collective tribute.

The Field of Remembrance was first introduced in 2011 by Poppyscotland as part of a fundraising mailing appeal and this year will see in the region of 10,000 crosses on display, each one sent in from supporters, many with heartfelt messages in memory of lost loved ones or support for the Armed Forces. Donations of around £120,000 have been received as result of the initiative this year. There will also be a special Afghanistan plot to commemorate the 453 Servicemen killed in action during the conflict.

The Field of Remembrance will be open during Poppy Week, from Monday 3rd to Tuesday 11^th November. It is situated adjacent to the traditional Garden of Remembrance on the other side of the Scott Monument and will be open immediately after the Garden of Remembrance opening ceremony, which takes place at 11am on Monday. Members of the public can plant their own crosses in exchange for a donation. As well as crosses, other tributes are available including a Sikh Khanda, Muslim Crescent Moon, Jewish Star of David and a non-denominational symbol.

Poppyscotland, the charity that organises the annual Scottish Poppy Appeal, uses the money raised to provide vital support to the Armed Forces community in Scotland. This includes specialist advice and employment support, home adaptations, mobility aids and tailored funding packages.

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People across Scotland are being invited to submit their ideas for somebody they would like to be recognised with a commemorative plaque.

Historic Scotland’s plaque Scheme, now in its third year, celebrates the life and achievements of significant persons from all walks of life, by placing a plaque on their home or a building that’s particularly associated with them.

People are invited to submit their nominations by filling in a short form on Historic Scotland’s website – www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/commemorativeplaques which asks two questions: why does their nominee deserve to be nominated, and what is the significance of their chosen building?

Only 12 plaques are awarded each year; an independent panel of experts assesses the nominations before making the final choice, which will then be announced in Spring 2015

Last year’s scheme sought nominations linked to Year of Natural Scotland while 2012/13 saw achievements in the arts and creative fields celebrated.

Announcing this year’s scheme, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop said: “Scotland has historically punched above its weight with its contribution to the arts and creative fields. That has been reflected in the calibre of people who have been recognised by the Commemorative Plaque scheme. Previous years have seen the likes of John Logie Baird, James Watt, and Wilfred Owen receiving plaques, to name a few.”

“Previous plaques have been unveiled to household names but not all but not all nominees need be – many of the other plaques have been awarded to people who left significant legacies of their own, but have not been as widely recognised. This is an opportunity to address that. ”

“As opposed to previous years, when nominees had to be selected based on a particular theme, this year is an open theme which I’m sure will encourage a great variety of nominations from across the spectrum of Scottish life. I would very much like to see more nominations of women who have made a difference and there are many to choose from in Scotland.“

Speaking about the scheme, Martin Ross, Projects and Policy Manager at Historic Scotland said “We’ve designed the scheme to commemorate the link between a particular person and a specific building, because buildings can say a great deal about the character of the particular person who lived or worked there.

“This year we’d really like to get nominations for more women of achievement, from any part of Scotland.”

The closing date for this year’s nominations is 31 January 2015. Nominations can be made online http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/proposeplaque

The criteria for nominating an individual are that they should:

Have been dead for at least 20 years and also have passed the centenary of their birth
Be closely associated with a building in Scotland that is still standing – this could be a home or any other type of building
Have made a significant contribution to any aspect of life in Scotland, whether in the arts, literature, architecture, medicine, business, charitable work, military service, engineering – there are no limitations.

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