Fishing off the needles left, Dire Straits bassist John Illsley centre, and the Quentin Blake print Picture: Horatio’s Garden — Fishing off the needles left, Dire Straits bassist John Illsley centre, and the Quentin Blake print right Picture: Horatio’s Garden

Pieces by Quentin Blake and Dire Straits founder help raise £60,000 in Salisbury charity auction

Tait ap EllisNovember 4, 20250 Comment0

£61,500 was raised for Salisbury based spinal injury charity Horatio’s Garden after more than 70 artists donated their works for an online auction.

The two-week auction, held by Salisbury based auctioneers Woolley and Wallis, took place from October 9 and raised £80,000 of sales before artist commission.

The artists included Sarah Armstrong-Jones, Sir Quentin Blake, John Illsley, Sophie Ryder, Mark Coreth, Nic Fiddian-Green and Alastair Barford, amongst others.

One of the most highly sought after works was Fishing off Needles by John Illsley, founding member and former bass guitarist of Dire Straits, which achieved £1,250.

A portrait commission by Royal painter Alastair Barford also proved popular. Barford, who famously painted the late Queen and the first portrait of King Charles III as King, offered a private portrait sitting, which sold for £2,900.

There was a bidding war for a work titled Flowering Plant by the internationally acclaimed illustrator Sir Quentin Blake CH CBE RDI.

Widely regarded as one of Britain’s most cherished and influential artists in the field of illustration, his distinctive style is unparalleled, which was demonstrated in the piece selling for four times its estimate at £800.

Money raise will support Horatio’s Garden which builds, cares for and staffs transformative gardens for people with spinal injuries at NHS rehabilitation centres, offering reflection and adjustment, privacy and solace, joy and companionship to all who need it.

It has now opened gardens in eight of the 11 NHS centres across the country, with a mission for everyone with a spinal injury to have access to a Horatio’s Garden, as part of their rehabilitative care.

Horatio’s Garden also leads gardening sessions to grow and cultivate plants, arts workshops to discover new skills and a programme of live music and events.

Katie Tait, CEO of Horatio’s Garden said: “What a fantastic result! We’re so grateful to all the incredible artists and bidders who through their generosity are helping us change the lives of people going through the most challenging of times.

“We see the importance of creativity for rehabilitation in the gardens every day, helping people to process emotions, build confidence and interact with others. Thank you so much to our partners at Woolley & Wallis for their brilliant support to make this happen.”

John Axford, chairman of Woolley and Wallis auctioneers, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the success of this year’s charity auction in support of Horatio’s Garden.

“The generosity of the artists and bidders alike has been truly inspiring and to have raised £61,500 for such an important cause is a wonderful achievement.

“It’s a privilege for Woolley and Wallis to help bring together the art community in support of a charity that transforms lives through creativity, nature and healing.”