The Westminster Art Collective raises £19k for the YWF community

The Westminster Art Collective raises £19k for the YWF community

By 18th February 2020February 19th, 2020Events

The Westminster Art Collective raises £19k for the YWF community

By 18th February 2020Events

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up” Pablo Picasso

Young Westminster Foundation, Total Media Group and Positive View Foundation were delighted to host a fundraising art auction on Thursday 13th Feb in support of vital outreach youth work in Westminster, hosted by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Ruth Bush.

The Westminster Art Collective was attended by 250 guests from across Westminster, including many of Total Media’s creative network. The collection featured affordable art, donated by a variety of artists and organisations in celebration of Westminster and its youth culture. This inaugural fundraising auction was held at the Greenhouse Centre, a Grade II* listed deconsecrated church in North Westminster which has been uniquely transformed into a community sport centre for young people and their families from the local community by Greenhouse Sports, a member of YWF.

The Auction Collective ran the auction itself, creating a real buzz in the room and introducing many of the guests to the fun of an auction for the first time. The Auction Collective was established by former Christie’s auctioneer, Tom Best. It was created to provide a fresh approach to the art market. Tom’s idea was to take the best of Britain’s auction tradition and bring it up to date by making it more streamlined, more transparent and more affordable. Certainly a really fun way to raise funds for young people in Westminster.

The evening featured a performance by Kitch – a young hip-hop artist from Walthamstow, East London. Kitch was born with a speech impediment, but found out he can speak fluently when he raps. His story has recently been documented by the BBC.

A total of £19 000 was raised through the event for the YWF community, with £10k being invested into a new outreach youth programme in Westminster. Outreach youth work involves meeting young people where they are at, in their communities. Youth workers aim to reach out and make contact with young people who may have little access to provision and introduce them to what’s on offer. The aim of the work is to enable young people to develop their full potential as individuals and as members of our Westminster community.

The money raised will further support opportunities for young people  through Positive View Foundation and Creative Media Network and benefit local charities and social enterprises – The Floating Classroom. The Marylebone Project & Greenhouse Sports.

Guy Sellers, Chief Executive of Total Media, said “we were delighted to partner with the Young Westminster Foundation on their art auction. The teams pulled off a great evening and the auction, skilfully driven by Tom Best from The Auction Collective, helped bring the total raised to over £19,000, way beyond our early expectations. A huge thank you to everyone involved.”


We’d like to extend a huge thank you to the sponsors, artists, guests, performers and buyers who made the first ever Westminster Art Collective possible. We look forward to seeing you in 2021!

A special thank you to;