Sculpture auctioned for £12k donated back to the Sick Kids in Edinburgh
A RAINBOW-coloured Highland cow sold for thousands of pounds at auction to benefit NHS charities has been donated back to Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children in a remarkable “circle of kindness”.
The steel sculpture, named Florence, was commissioned by oncology nurses at the Sick Kids in memory of a much-loved friend and colleague who passed away. The bovine artwork was hand-forged by artist blacksmith Kev Paxton of Edinburgh-based ArtFe, and painted by capital graffiti artist Ginge.
When coronavirus struck last year, the nurses agreed with Mr Paxton and his business partner Cat Stops to auction the heavy metal work to raise money for NHS Charities Together.
The multicoloured piece was bought by IT equipment sales boss Nick Stapleton, from Dalbeattie in Kirkcudbrightshire, for £12,000.
Now, the businessman has donated the work back to the hospital to be enjoyed in a private garden used by sick kids and their families.
The cow was handed over to the nurses this week and officially unveiled in the Lochranza Garden at the hospital’s new £150 million building at Little France.
Mr Stapleton, 54, said: “When I saw that the nurses and ArtFe had decided to auction Florence for charity, I thought it was a great thing they were doing. It was just a shame that by doing this they wouldn’t get to keep this lovely Highland cow. I thought if I could win it in the auction, I would donate it back to them.
“It’s amazing to see it take pride of place in the new garden and the reactions to it have been brilliant. All the nurses love it, and I saw one little lad whose face just lit up.
“It’s also giving something back to the NHS, so I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.”
The team of oncology nurses raised around £2,000 by organising and taking part in events to commemorate their friend, Susan Pawluk, who died in 2017.
When the decision was made to auction Florence for charity, ArtFe generously waived all of its own costs and donated 100 per cent of the proceeds raised to NHS Charities Together.
The money the nurses originally raised for the commission was donated to another charity, Richmond’s Hope, which offers support to bereaved families.
The cow sculpture was named after nurse Florence Nightingale, the bicentenary of whose birth was celebrated last year.
Fiona Bruce, advanced nurse practitioner in the hematology and oncology department at the Sick Children’s Hospital, said: “We wanted to do something as a tribute to our friend Susan, and our wee coo was just perfect. It was exactly what we wanted, colourful and fun, just like her. What followed was just amazing. By auctioning Florence we hoped to raise money for NHS charities, and we were proud when it made £12,000 -and then this lovely gentleman Nick gifted it back to us.
“We are so grateful to ArtFe and Nick -- it looks perfect in its new home and I think Susan would be very happy with the outcome.”
Ann Cairney, senior charge nurse, added: “We have kids from zero to 18 years old, who can be with us for weeks and months on end, and they come into the garden with their families. I’m sure Florence will help to put a smile on their faces.”
Mr Paxton, who spent up to 120 hours hand-forging the cow on an anvil at his smiddy near Edinburgh Airport, said: “I believe that kindness is contagious, and this is a great example of that. We were commissioned to make Florence on behalf of the nurses as a tribute to their friend who sadly passed away. Auctioning the cow was then a good way to help the NHS charities, and we were delighted when Nick put in such a massive winning bid.”