Car bonnet artworks from the Bangers and Cash art roadshow banger rally were auctioned at the Mercure Hotel in Sheffield, bringing the project’s fundraising total to £96,000.
Almost £28,000 was raised during the event for Sheffield youth homeless charity Roundabout via the auction, ticket sales, donations and from fundraising on the night which was added to the total already raised by teams participating in the event.
More than 180 people attended the event at the Mercure Hotel in Sheffield city centre, which was sponsored by Sheffield BID and hosted by BBC Radio Sheffield presenter and Roundabout patron Paulette Edwards. Attendees enjoyed dinner before listening to speeches from Roundabout staff and watching a film about the rally made by Sheffield filmmaker Tim Glasby.
Eight bonnets were auctioned off during the event, including works by Matt Cockayne and Lisa Maltby, with the rest available to bid on in an online auction that closed later in the evening.
The bonnet that raised the most money was the Whitehornes Estate Agents team’s bonnet, which raised £1,450. It was designed by Sheffield artist Steve Goodison and featured the design “I want to drive like common people”, written in French and featuring an image of Jarvis Cocker’s face in tribute to the Pulp frontman.
Other high-price lots included a bonnet designed by Rob Lee raising £600, a bonnet of a Reliant Robin by Stephanie Wardle fetched £900 and a bonnet by Jo Peel, which brought a total of £1,100.
Guests included rally team members, Master and Mistress Cutler Nick and Liz Cragg and entrepreneur and former High Sheriff of Sheffield Julie Kenny, who sponsored the Roundabout team’s rally car.
Suzy Brain England OBE, Chair of Sheffield BID’s board, said: “Sheffield BID is pleased to support the Bangers and Cash auction and celebrate the hard work of the artists, rally teams and Roundabout staff.
“The BID fully supports the great work Roundabout does with young people in Sheffield city centre. We look forward to seeing the positive impact of the money raised in helping to reduce the number of young people sleeping rough on our city centre streets. With extra workers on the street helping young rough sleepers, we can also help create a brighter future for the city’s most vulnerable.”
Teams of local businesses participating in the rally left Sheffield on Friday 21 September in cars decorated by local artists, visiting Brussels, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, Switzerland and Italy, before driving over the finish line in Monte Carlo’s famous Casino Square on Monday 24, where Roundabout staff waved them in with a chequered flag.
Ben Keegan, Roundabout CEO, said: “The auction dinner was the culmination of over a year’s hard work, which has seen Bangers and Cash flourish into a successful project that has raised an incredible amount of money for Roundabout.
“It’s by far the biggest fundraising initiative we’ve ever embarked on and we want to thank every single person who was involved, from Matt Cockayne who developed the concept, to Richard Eyre at Sheffield City Council for his logistical support, Rebecca Staden of Bex & Co. for her excellent project management, as well as our own fundraising and communications team lead by Clare Collingworth.
“The money we have raised means that we will we be able to provide an outreach service for rough sleepers in the city-centre and an advice and referral service for city centre businesses affected by rough sleepers. Not only that, but we can extend our homeless prevention work across the Sheffield City Region to reduce the number of young people declaring themselves homeless.”
Roundabout’s ground-breaking prevention project delivers highly effective mediation and drop-in advice services, as well as peer education about homelessness in schools, delivered by trained volunteers who have experienced homelessness themselves.
The charity has been supporting vulnerable young people in Sheffield for 40 years by providing shelter, support and life skills. Through a variety of services, the charity aims to support and empower young people who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, to learn the necessary skills they need to become independent.