Comedian James Acaster to host fundraiser in Bath
Evening’s entertainment will be provided by comedian James Acaster, world class jazz vocalist Claire Martin.
Charity auction will be led by former Sotheby’s auctioneer, Ed Rising.
Celebrated photography and journalist duo, Newton & Worthy, today announces the launch of HOME AID. This unique charity auction will raise money for the millions of refugees who have been left homeless as a result of the Ukraine crisis.
HOME AID will take place in the heart of Bath, at the Bath Assembly Rooms on Thursday 5th May 2022, thanks to the generous support of Bath’s Historic Venues. Interiors-focused, it will exclusively feature an abundance of beautiful and distinct items and experiences, donated for free, with all auction profits going to UK for UNHCR’s Ukraine Emergency Appeal to support refugees and displaced families.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organisation mandated to save lives, protect rights and build a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. It is giving life-saving protection to families who have been forced to flee their homes in the fastest-growing refugee crisis to afflict Europe since World War II. As UNHCR’s British charity partner, UK for UNHCR has launched an emergency appeal to support relief efforts.
HOME AID will be a star-studded affair, with a number of iconic names supporting the cause. Comedian James Acaster, a TV panel show regular on shows such as Mock The Week and 8 out of 10 Cats, will host the event at the Bath Assembly Rooms, while former Sotheby’s auctioneer, Ed Rising, will conduct the auction. Rising is a charismatic auctioneer with decades of experience in Fine Art and charity auctions.
Providing musical entertainment will be the Claire Martin Quintet. Fronted by multi award-winning singer Claire Martin OBE, who ‘ranks among the four or five finest female jazz vocalists on the planet’, according to Jazz Times USA, the quintet is a world-class ensemble. She will rekindle her famous relationship with renowned pianist David Newton, whose ‘bold originality and delicacy of touch’ (The Observer) will bring a sophistication of song stylings to the evening. The pair will be joined by the much in-demand rhythm section of Laurence Cottle on bass and Steve Brown on drums, with special guest – and local hero – Iain Ballamy on saxophone.
A range of the finest interiors products and services will be up for auction from some of the region’s and country’s most prestigious providers, including: OKA, Berdoulat, Holloways of Bath, Knoll, de Gournay, workshops with BBC Queen of Colour, Sophie Robinson, Edward Bulmer Paint, Another Country, Coco & Wolf, Rockett St George, Among The Pines, Euridge Manor, Emily’s House, WA Green, Home Front Interiors, Looking Glass Bath, The Letterpress Collective, Helma Bongenaar and artists Patrick Hughes, Clare Day and William Balthazar Rose, among many others.
Specialising in interiors, Newton & Worthy has collaborated with some of the most talented interior designers, brands, artists and makers working in the UK today.
“Whilst here in the UK, we are safe in our own houses, surrounded by much-loved possessions and our everyday furnishings,” says journalist Hannah Newton. “The Ukrainian people are losing everything they have ever owned, fleeing from war and disaster, and seeking sanctuary far from home with the few effects they had time to grab. That’s why HOME AID will feature something for all budgets and tastes so that everyone can contribute to this effort to raise as much money as possible for the vulnerable people hit by this horrific war.”
Photographer Claire Worthy continues, “Feeling helpless and heartbroken by this crisis we ask everyone, business and being, in Bath and beyond, to come together and help us raise as much money as possible. We can all make a difference, however small, to support the work of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to deliver, food, shelter and life-saving aid. Please support HOME AID and donate whatever you can.”
To book your place at the live auction on 5th May, or find out more, please visit Home Aid’s website here. Everyone is invited to donate or bid online and there will be a silent auction leading up to the event.