Online auction fundraiser in memory of Bexhill student to go live

Sophie’s Secret Postcard Auction was set up by St Richard’s Catholic College, where Sophie Maria Taylor was a student, by teacher Miranda Pennington.

Miranda said: “Sophie would have been leaving St Richard’s this summer as a beautiful, talented and successful young lady and #sophiespostcard2020 is a way to mark her memory and her love of the arts.”

The auction on eBay starts tomorrow (Wednesday, June 17) and lasts until 10pm on Saturday, June 27 and all artwork will have a starting bid of £1.

The aim of the auction is for people to send in their artwork on a postcard-sized piece of paper and a signature on the back, which will then be sold off to the highest bidder.

All proceeds will be donated to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, the hospital where Sophie and her family received care and support before she died in 2017.

More than 1,000 postcards have been sent in by people from all around the world including some famous names, such as Sir Quentin Blake and Dame Jacqueline Wilson.

Miranda said: “Artists from around the globe have sent wonderful artwork from Australia to Ukraine, USA to the Netherlands and everywhere in between.

“So many wonderful artists have donated work for this very special fundraiser in Sophie’s memory.

“There has also been a phenomenal show of support and goodwill from the talented amateur and professional artists here in East Sussex, as well as a number of postcards from talented young students.

“On behalf of everyone at St Richard’s Catholic College, The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and Sophie’s family, I’d like to say a big thank you and hope you enjoy taking part in the auction.”

All the postcards can be viewed at www.sophiespostcard.com.

The secret art auction on eBay can be found by searching for ‘sophiessecretpostcard’.

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