By Mal Butler
An online auction of skate boards, painted by Island artists to raise money for the proposed new Freshwater Skatepark, has raised nearly £7,000.
The on-line auction, at the Royal Solent Yacht Club, Yarmouth, on Saturday, was attended by a packed audience including local councillors who have supported the project and many of the artists themselves.
Before the auction was declared closed, Harrison Wavell, a writer and poet, was asked to write a story about the Freshwater ‘Dragon’ logo which he entitled ‘Alfred’s Dragon’.
He told the story of a young boy named Alfred who had a dream about finding a hoard of gold and when he discovered it, he spent the money on a skateboard park for the whole of the community to enjoy.
Caroline Pakel, committee chairman, said: “It has been a daunting task to raise the money for the skatepark, and the project is now in its fourth year, but we will be signing contracts in the weeks and months to come. We need more funds for the landscaping and drainage but it’s all in the process of happening.”
The artwork of the three decks provided by Zoe Sadler entitled ‘Nautical Compass’ raised £700, the most money of the exhibits. Others works included those by Anna Keen ‘Cloudy Bay, heading for No 9’, the painting of a Contessa race which took place outside the club; ‘Soaring’ by Anne Toms; ‘Oh Hela’ by Paul Winstone and ‘Seadragon Rising’ by Frazer May.
A total of £6,879 was raised.
Carole Dennett