Cows about Cambridge auction raises astonishing £257,100 for children’s charity Break
An incredible £257,100 was raised for the children’s charity Break at the Cows about Cambridge auction.
Buyers showed their enthusiasm for the brilliant sculptures that adorned the 10-week art trail around the city with some huge bids on Thursday night.
MooMoo-o-Tron III raised an astonishing £16,000 on its own as its creators, the popular Cambridge art duo Dinky Doors, watched on in amazement.
Afterwards, they tweeted: “Still trying to process this. So happy that MooMoo raised so much for @break_charity. Splendidly flabbergasted. Way to go MooMoo, and much love to your new family.”
In a public vote before the auction, which had 1,200 votes, the sculpture had proved the most popular cow.
The evening began in style as Sir Isaac Mooton - the cow sponsored by the Cambridge Independent as the media partner for the whole trail, arrived on a punt.
He would go on to raise an impressive £6,200 at the auction.
There were 44 lots on offer at the Graduate Cambridge Hotel, where celebrity auctioneer Charles Hanson, known for appearances on Bargain Hunt, Flog It! and Antiques Road Trip, entertained the audience.
Bidders in the room were joined by more online as the colourful creations went udder - sorry, under - the hammer, while fascinated viewers watched a live stream on Youtube and the Cambridge Independent website.
First up was Glynn Thomas’ bovine beauty Cowbridges, sponsored by Break and the Sam Family, which fetched £6,500, getting the evening off to a flying start.
Wandering Lions, up next, did even better, with £7,500, while Can You Find 100 Beetles raised £4,000 and Udders and Rowers added a further £5,000.
As the money rolled in, it was clear that a significant total was going to be reached that would make a huge difference to Break.
Four Four Moo, the Cambridge United cow, raised £8,000, while Sally Adams watched her creation, Hey Diddle Diddle - the second most visited cow on the trail - go for £7,000.
Doodle Cow was another big hit, going for £10,000, along with Botanicow, which raised £9,500.
At the end of the night, Break was left delighted, with more than a quarter of million pounds made.
The charity, which works with children and young people on the edge of care, in care and leaving care, said: “No young person in Break’s care has chosen their start to life. This total will raise aspirations, provide safe and stable homes and remove limits on what the incredible young people we work with are able to achieve. Thank you Cambridge.”
The mini moos that also formed part of the trail are being returned to the schools and groups that created them as a lasting legacy of the summer the cows took over Cambridge, with the exception of the Cow-respondent that has joined the Cambridge Independent on its reporting assignments during the trail. It went for £4,000.
Cows about Cambridge was created by global public art producers Wild in Art, together with the charity Break and principal partner Cambridge Business Improvement District (BID), along with official travel partner Thameslink.
At the end of the auction, Ian Sandison, chief executive of Cambridge BID, said: “One of our key aims was to connect residents with their city. It’s been an amazing project.”
The Cows about Cambridge team described it as an “amazing result” and said: “Thank moo!”.
Read more
Cows about Cambridge: The public’s favourites are revealed ahead of charity auction
Complete guide to Cows about Cambridge 2021
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