Salmond card art sells for £4,800

Sep 8 2012

The artwork from the First Minister's official Christmas card has sold for almost £5,000 at a charity auction.

Proceeds from the sale of Bella Caledonia by artist and writer Alasdair Gray will be split between four Scottish charities.

They are the Children's Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS), Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF), Glenachulish Preservation Trust and the Small Tribes Trust, the latter of which was selected by the artist.

Each charity will also benefit from the sale of limited edition prints of the painting, gifted to them by Alex Salmond to aid their fundraising efforts. These sales are expected to push proceeds through the £10,000 barrier, the Scottish Government said.

Mr Gray's work was put under the hammer by auctioneer Anita Manning at her Great Western Auction house in Glasgow, where she was assisted at the podium by Mr Salmond. The gavel dropped at £4,800, bringing the total amount raised by sales of Mr Salmond's Christmas cards since 2007 to more than £131,000, all of which has benefited a variety of organisations such as the RNLI, Mary's Meals, CLIC Sargent and Joining Against Cancer In Kids Foundation.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: "I am absolutely thrilled that the artwork from my 2011 Christmas card has once again raised such a substantial figure for four extremely deserving charities."

Maria Gill of CHAS said: "Bella Caledonia is an extraordinary painting and to be one of the beneficiaries is a great honour. As Scotland's only children's hospice charity, the sale of this iconic painting will help us to continue to provide specialist care to families across Scotland when they need it most."

Val Morgan, from SCIAF, said: "Every penny given to SCIAF, especially during the current economic downturn, is gratefully received and will be put to work helping some of the world's poorest people, many affected by war, extreme poverty, disease and natural disasters."

Jennifer Frances, of the Glenachulish Preservation Trust, said: "Our charity formed just a year ago exists to restore and preserve in working order the last turntable ferry in the Highlands. The proceeds from the sale of Alasdair Gray's fabulous painting of Bella Caledonia will provide a real financial boost to get our restoration project under way."

Angela Mullane, secretary of Save Small Tribes Trust, said: "Being chosen by Alasdair Gray indicates his concerns for the tribes of the rainforests and his concerns for the tribes throughout the world who are underfed. Save Small Tribes Trust will operate in South America, particularly in Peru. It will save the livelihoods of threatened peoples and prevent exploitation of their land in the rainforest."