Sam Toft Art Auction: Bringing Sunshine
We were thrilled to fill the Panter and Hall Gallery with a whole host of our supporters and their four-legged friends, alongside the wonderful Sam Toft and her fabulous new exhibition of exquisite work. The gallery was full of enthusiastic art lovers, poised to view Sam’s pieces, bid for a one-of-a-kind Sam Toft and raise money for our worthwhile cause.
The Live Auction
Sam, herself, is a dog lover who rescued her dog Betty recently. She has always wanted to give back to the amazing animals that provide her with so much love and joy. That is why we were so grateful that she chose us as her charity to support.
Sam worked incredibly hard for the duration of the evening, providing our guests with personalised sketches of their gorgeous pups, both in attendance and those left at home. She had queues of guests lining up to receive their one-of-a-kind Sam Toft piece.
She also generously donated her beautiful painting ‘Bringing Sunshine’ along with a collection of her ceramics, including the first piece of pottery that she threw, to auction off for our benefit. Nikki also donated a Wild at Heart voucher, to win a bouquet of stunning flowers. All the money raised from her auction, and the donations from the live sketching, has generously been donated to our mission, to change the lives of stray dogs worldwide.
The live auction element of the evening was very fun with many of our guests enthusiastically placing their bids and fighting for the artwork. We even had some dogs joining in, placing bids and competing for the prizes. With Sam’s generous donations for the auction, our enthusiastic guests, and dog lovers coming together for a good cause, we managed to raise over £5,000. This money will directly contribute towards our mission to end the suffering and improve the well-being of stray dogs in need all over the world.
Podcast Recording with Anna Webb
Before the event kicked off, Nikki, Sam and our new Ambassador, Anna Webb, sat down to speak about their mutual love of dogs, the important work of The Foundation and the style and whimsy of Sam’s art.
Discussions ranged from Nikki’s time in Puerto Rico helping in the recovery unit of the Spayathons, to our work with food banks to help struggling dog owners feed their dogs during the cost-of-living crisis. They also spoke about Nikki’s passion to stop the online sale of dogs, and instead promote the importance of ‘adopt don’t shop’, especially given the current abundance of dogs in dire need of homes in UK shelters.
Sam’s passion for dogs is obvious in their conversations; she also has experience of rescuing dogs, as her beloved Betty was a partially trained police dog from Bosnia. Having worked very hard with Betty she explains why rescuing and rehabilitating dogs is the most rewarding thing you can do. Combining her talent and her love of dogs, Sam has created a world through her art and characters that are so recognisable, and they have gained her a huge and loyal following.
Thank You!
We are so grateful to the Panter and Hall Gallery for donating the space to host this wonderful and successful evening. We would also like to thank everyone who joined us in person and online and who so generously opened their purses and wallets so that we can make a difference in the lives of stray dogs everywhere.
The biggest thank you of all goes to Sam Toft. Without her unwavering dedication to her art and her dogs, her generous donations of sketches, paintings and ceramics and her sheer kindness, this event would not have been possible. The money that has been raised will be put to good use to help fund sterilisations, welfare drives and education programmes and ensure the suffering of vulnerable stray dogs finally comes to an end.
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