Auction of Promises 2023
On Friday 19th May, Andover Trees United hosted another successful Auction of Promises. The fundraising event welcomed local community members and businesses, volunteers of the charity, and The Worshipful the Mayor of Test Valley Councillor Alan Dowden, all donating promises and offering bids to help raise funds to enable the completion of the Cabin.
The Cabin has been part of the vision for Harmony Woods from the outset: an off-grid, sustainable classroom, field-study base, and community and volunteer room, one that is sensitive to its surroundings and sits well in the landscape. This has been a true ambition and is finally near to completion.
Escalating costs, however, have meant that Andover Trees United have had to spend funds earmarked for the internal fitting on the main build itself… and they’ve run out! Additional funds are therefore now needed for this third and final phase - fitting out the inside.
The event, held in The Hayward Suite at The Wolversdene Club, helped raise a much needed £3,700 towards the Cabin build, and we cannot thank all who attended, those that bid from afar and anyone that donated a ‘promise’, enough. We hope that all who attended had a wonderful evening and that you managed to snag yourself a bargain or two!
We would also like to thank Dave Allon for stepping in at the last moment as compere, Matty Twigg for creating the perfect musical ambiance, and Jane of Andover Buffets for the delicious food - we couldn’t have done it without you! You helped make the evening a great success.
A special thank you to the Wolversdene Club for donating the venue, Abel & Cole for donating table nibbles, SquareHippoArtPhotography for photographs and Julian Chen of New Street Dental Care and Kim Stone of Serendipity Vintage for sponsoring the event.
For a full list of donations and donors please visit: https://www.andovertrees.org.uk/auction
Though we raised a substantial amount of money, due to the ever-rising cost of materials, we are still only half way there and our fundraising efforts must continue.
If you were unable to make it to the auction and would like to help out by donating, please visit our Global Giving page: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/woodland-classroom/
Or why not consider sponsoring our wonderful builder Ben Startup - maybe even taking part yourself - in the sponsored ‘Walk for the Cabin’ from 23rd-25th September.
If you are unable to donate money, perhaps you could donate your time instead. We also need help with construction. We are looking for volunteer carpenters, plasterers, building trades who would like to help with the final phase of this community build. Please email sharon.vennall@andovertrees.org.uk to offer help or to find out more.