The Secret Postcard Sale was in brilliant success. I want to thank everyone who contributed postcards; all the lovely volunteers who helped on the day, the North Finchley Town Team who put on such a great Christmas Festival, Craig from Martyn Gerrard who did some last minute photocopying for me, Salman from Stark and Partners who lent me the shop, Helen Michael of Café Buzz who hosted a Rhubarb Wine and Secret Postcard party and spotted the potential of Mr Simms as a venue, and the wonderful customers who made the event such a success for Age UK Barnet.
We raised a fantastic £2,400 on the day, smashing the target of £2,000 and we still have some items to sell so the final amount will be more than that.
Here are some photos by the lovely Rob Bourne who was the Barnet Press photographer on the day.
I know because we both volunteer together on a project called the Grange Big Local. She is a clever, efficient and energetic with a very kind heart.
She came to a Rhubarb Wine and Secret Postcard making party in Café Buzz, where the owner, Helen Michael, served her home-made rhubarb wine and I forced friends and customers to make me postcards. Elizabeth dutifully turned up with her son and made cards.
She came along to the sale to support Age UK Barnet, but when she discovered that Jude Law had contributed a card she became a woman on a mission, because she is such a fan. I gave her the same clue I had put on my blog, that the card was, characteristically like the artist, effortlessly cool. She went round and round all the cards – I had nearly 400, muttering under her breath “effortlessly cool, effortlessly cool, Jude Law” whilst her husband stood, with his hands in his pockets and a patient, resigned expression on his face, clearly a man who knows not to interrupt when his wife has such a fierce intent, and her son stood balefully eyeing the card he’d made, hoping someone would buy it. Eventually Elizabeth made her choice, just the one card and she had picked correctly. I cannot tell you how utterly joyful she was when she found out she had nailed it so accurately.
Keith is a stalwart volunteer for Age UK Barnet and a local campaigner who risked losing his home in legal costs when he joined his name to that of the squatters of Occupy in the court case over Friern Barnet Library, because he wanted to show that the community stood foursquare behind the library (he didn’t because Barnet Council chose not pursue costs against him) had contributed a number of cards to the sale. He is another person who came to support Age UK Barnet, but was clever enough to spot the Martin Rowson cartoon.
Here is Keith
And here is Martin Rowson’s card
Mr Rowson agrees it could not have gone to a better home.
Alex is a local artist who paints miniatures on discarded sugar packets and tea bag labels in cafes. He is a sweet, gentle soul who kindly donated 2 cards to the sale. One of his cards was bought by Tanya, the owner of the highly regarded Hoxton gallery Bookartbookshop.
http://www.bookartbookshop.com
Alex was in the shop when Tanya made her purchase, so I introduced them. Having looked through his work, Tanya decided that we had made a real discovery and wants to show his work. Result! Alex called his mother and invited her to come down so they could celebrate together. Whilst he was waiting he perused all the other cards. Here he is
He managed to spot the Terry Gilliam card and here he is buying it
If you want to buy or see Alex’s art he tweets as @AyJay Trashy.
Thank you all. You have been amazing and helped to raise a fantastic amount of money for a very worthy cause.
juliaoffinchley 