On Friday March 3, the Mayor of Abergavenny, Cllr Tony Konieczny, hosted a Charity Dinner and Auction at the Kings Arms Hotel. The evening comprised of a three course dinner, followed by a raffle and auction.

Various incredible lots and prizes had been graciously donated by local businesses and artists, as well as individual contributions. Amongst them included: a set Le Creuset mugs and Jute bag from Cooks Galley; Dior ‘J’adore’ pefume and body cream set from Shackletons; a Clarins gift set and aromatherapy back massage voucher from Claire Price Beauticians; “Three Peaks of Abergavenny” print by Louise Collis; two limited edition prints from David Haswell; a limited edition print by Anthony Konieczny; John Petts prints; a print from Bettina Reeves; two roof decorations from the Abergavenny Food Festival; vouchers and gift tokens from Kahve, the Angel Hotel, the Kings Arms, Anatolian’s, Casa Bianca, Mezze Me, Alison Tod, and Regency 59/Kings Head Hotel. 

One of the most significant offerings was that of a Ceri Richards Lithograph from 1971 of Willy Milly and Mrs. Ogmore Prichard – a wordking proof for Under Milkwood, which was kindly donated by the family of the late Lionel Heaton, whose celebration of life had been held earlier that day, marking what would have also been his 90th birthday. This was particularly poignant as he was originally set to be the Mayor’s Guest of Honour at the event.

The star lot, however, was a reproduction of the print “Abergavenny” by local artist, Jeremy Thomas. Originally limited to a print run of just 150 –  despite the many requests to reproduce the image –  Jeremy kindly agreed to this one-off, especially for the Charity Auction.

As they say... the best was saved for last! Having received a huge amount of interest in the lead up to the event, with over ten silent bids being placed, Jeremy Thomas’s print was successfully won by an attendee at the auction.

All in all, with twenty-six auction lots and several raffle prizes, a total of £4,160 was raised for the Mayor’s chosen charities: Cwtch Angels, Help for Kharkiv and 7Corners. This will join the funds already raised prior to the event and awarded to the charities at the end of the current Mayor’s tenure in May.

Commenting on the success of the event, Cllr Tony Konieczny said, “I can’t begin to express my gratitude to the businesses and individuals who supported the Charity Auction with their generous contributions, which attracted a great deal of interest. I would also like to thank all who attened and entered into the spirit of the event with some lively and competitive bidding. It was a lovely convivial evening thanks to the wonderful staff at the King’s Arms who provided a warm welcome, good food and excellent service.”