Plaster Penguins raise thousands for St Christopher's Hospice

Thousands of big-hearted supporters help St Christopher’s raise the millions it needs every year to provide the best possible end of life care. While many complete our famous Fun Walk, some really stretch themselves to run the London Marathon and others push the boundaries of sanity by jumping out of a plane, few can have raised so much over so long a time in such an unusual way.

Artist, curator and gallery owner, Ben Oakley, has made his significant contribution to St Christopher’s by selling penguins. No, don’t worry, Ben hasn’t been kidnapping and flogging flightless birds from London Zoo.

No. These money-making ‘penguins’ come from the Netherlands. They’re made of plaster, by homeless people.

“This guy came into my gallery about ten years ago with one of these plaster penguins and told me he displayed them all around Amsterdam. At first, I didn’t think they were really my thing but then I had an idea – I’ll acquire a load of them and ask the artists we work with to paint them and then sell them for St Christopher’s.”

While the Phing Thing – what creator Gert-Jan Vlaming calls the plain white creatures – was something of a chance happening, Ben’s choice of charity certainly wasn’t.

“Alongside my practice & art business, it’s always been part of what I do, creating something with love and then selling it for charity. As artists, we often don’t have money to give but we have hands that can create desirable artworks that do make money,” says Ben who lives in Beckenham.

“I decided it would be best to focus on one charity. The main factor in choosing St Christopher’s was that my dad, Vernon, spent his final few days there and I’ll never forget how gentle and caring they were while my mum and I sat there for three days with my dad. I would forever say they were angels.

“Also, I know they’re not properly funded, have to raise so much money and know the money is very well spent.”

Ben’s motivation has grown further when in recent years his in-laws and a close friend have been cared for by St Christopher’s.

So, ten years later, Ben’s network of artists has painted hundreds of penguins in an amazing variety of ways and the silent auctions have seen people pay up to £1,000 per ‘Miniature Sculpture’. Ben hasn’t kept a precise total, but he’s confident St Christopher’s has benefitted to the tune of at least £25,000.

“Not having a permanent physical gallery space at present makes it logistically difficult to run the Phing Thing, so I’m hoping we can host what might be the last one in December at St Christopher’s in a positive full circle moment.

“CARE is a lovely space. It’s very different from any gallery experience and has such a nice vibe about it.”