. . . so I did and I had to get it done in a hurry because they needed time to try and get the Guitar signed and do a bit of publicity and PR promoting the event . . . of course they were brilliant . . . Sam Fender couldn't have been more helpful . . . he played the guitar . . . he signed it . . . and then they took it off to their black-tie, Gala dinner they had organised for the fundraiser . . . and lo and behold . . . it was auctioned off for £5050 . . . wow! In total, they raised £23k at last year's gala auction. They gave £5k to Ovacome which is an ovarian cancer support charity. Its main focus is on supporting anyone affected by ovarian cancer, including patients, families, friends, and carers . . . Ovacome were able to match the donation . . . so it was £10k in total for them.
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Once expenses were paid to the venue, caterers, transport, etc., the rest of the money, £16,500, went to the Northern Gynaecological Oncology Centre (NGOC) based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead. The NGOC —the first of its kind in the UK—remains at the forefront of treatment and research, contributing to international advances such as PARP inhibitors, which have transformed survival for women with ovarian cancer. The money raised has gone towards funding research into HIPEC (Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy) . . . an innovative treatment that can greatly improve survival for women with advanced ovarian cancer.

Isn't it great when the system works!
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This year I am painting two guitars for their Gala auction . . . featuring two Geordie boys who went on to become legends . . . and make us all proud of them at the same time . . . not an easy trick to pull off. Sting and Jimmy Nail. I hope to God they like the guitars. I'll do a blog about them in a few days when i have the Guitars strung and photographed. In the meantime, if you'd like to find out more or buy tickets for the event head over here.