Summer auction in aid of NHS gardens includes works by Maggi Hambling and Dawn Beckles

Artists including Maggi Hambling, Dawn Beckles, Sean Henry and Nic Fiddian-Green are among a plethora of names donating works to an online summer art auction in aid of stellar charity Horatio’s Garden. The little-known organisation is a lifeline, supporting patients and their loved ones affected by spinal injury by creating accessible, therapeutic gardens in NHS spinal injury centres. The summer auction, run in collaboration with fine art auctioneers Woolley & Wallis, will run from 15 to 30 May, with many of the works reflecting the natural world; guide prices range from £300 to £30,000. The first Horatio’s Garden opened in 2012 at the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment at Salisbury Hospital; others followed at the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit, Glasgow, and at the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries. Further gardens are planned for Wales and Northern Ireland. Hambling encapsulates the spirt of the venture most elegantly, saying: “Beautiful gardens, art and music are a heady combination. I trust the auction will help to make this feast for the spirit continue and thrive.”