Hats off to Harold as he raises £55k for charity
RENOWNED ARTIST SKETCHES WIFE FROM HOSPITAL BED AFTER FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE – SO HE COULD DONATE WORK TO AUCTION HELD FOR CHILDLINE
HE has painted American presidents – and is the only artist Nelson Mandela sat for.
Now Salford’s Harold Riley has delivered perhaps the most poignant work of his career.
Despite being in intensive care for four weeks, he was determined to help the NSPCC.
So he drew his wife Ashraf as she sat in his room at Salford Royal Hospital. The sketch sold for an astonishing £55,000 at an auction held for the charity’s ChildLine service.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr Riley, 82, who is being treated for an autoimmune disorder, said: “I have done work in the past to donate to the NSPCC to auction.
“It dawned on me while I was in hospital that I hadn’t done anything for their gala dinner that was coming up.
“I didn’t want to let them down, so I decided to draw my wife from my hospital bed. I bought her a hat from a shop in Derbyshire, which suits her very well, and she wore that for the drawing.”
Harold initially planned to donate a picture from his archive to the children’s charity.
When Ashraf and daughter Kate were unable to find a suitable one, he asked them to take his sketch pad and pencils to hospital for him to draw something new.
Ashraf, who made an emotional speech to an audience of 400 guests at the NSPCC annual charity ball at Manchester’s Hilton Hotel, said: “He has been in hospital all wired up for the past month in intensive care. We have been with him every day, for 10 hours a day, by his side.
“I will never ever forget that feeling. I’ve never been sad like that – not knowing whether my husband is going to live or not.”
Ashraf ’s powerful speech left many in the audience in tears – and led to a bidding war for the portrait.
The £55,000 winning bid was the most ever raised in a single lot at the North West Childline Ball.
It went towards a whopping £210,000 raised at the glitzy event,
Chair of the Greater Manchester Childline Ball committee Michael Josephson said: “On behalf of the Greater Manchester Childline Ball committee, I would like to thank Harold for his continued generosity and support.
“With the funds generated through this artwork’s auction, Childline will be able to be there for more children when they need help the most.”
Last year Mr Riley revealed how a spell in hospital, in which he ‘died’ twice, inspired him to produce 20 drawings depicting people and places from his home city.