On Tuesday 11th October, charity auction night Art 4 Freedom will aim to raise funds for charities that support victims of human trafficking, one of the largest organised crimes in the world with 27 million people (half of which are children) still in modern-day slavery. Charities that will benefit from funds raised on the night include ECPAT UK and the A21 Campaign.

Auction items include sports memorabilia from former England captain Michael Vaughan and former England cricketer Ken Taylor, plus artwork from established and up-and-coming artists such as Charlie Mackesy and Gerard Stamp. The evening will be hosted by Sky Sports News presenters Charlotte Jackson and Simon Thomas, whilst the auction will be conducted by Antony Weld Forester, Managing Director of Sotheby’s Edinburgh. The evening will start will live music, drinks and canapés at 7pm with the auction itself starting at 8.30pm.

The Row For Freedom team (from L to R): Helen Leigh,
Katie Pattison-Hart, Andrea Quigley, Julia Immonen (team leader),
Kate Richardson and Debbie Beadle

The evening will also be an opportunity to learn more about the Row For Freedom challenge (a Sport Against Trafficking event) that takes place in December. Row For Freedom will see six ordinary women take part in the Woodvale Challenege, one of the toughest rowing races in the world. They aim to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic – unaided! – in a bid to raise awareness and put an end to human trafficking. The challenge will also be a double world record attempt, with the crew aiming to be the first female six and the fastest female crew to row from the Canary Islands to Barbados.

Tickets for the auction cost £25 and are available from www.justgiving.com/Art4Freedom.