TV personality and art expert Natasha Raskin Sharp will auction off a collection of BookBench sculptures in Aberdeen next month (October 8, 2025) to raise money for charity Clan Cancer Support.
The bold creations from public art exhibition The BookBench Trail will go under the hammer at The Chester Hotel on Wednesday, October 8, to help the charity provide physical and emotional support to anyone impacted by a cancer diagnosis.
Members
of the public are welcome to buy tickets to attend the event
which will see 37 lots auctioned off on the night.
Interested
buyers can now view all auction lots and make an expression of interest or
place a bid by checking out the online auction catalogue.
Sales
of the items - which include 32 large and five small individually designed
BookBench sculptures - will help raise vital funds for the charity, with bids
starting at £3,000 per design.
Natasha,
who is a regular expert contributor on the BBC's Antiques Road Trip, Celebrity
Antiques Road Trip and Bargain Hunt will be the event’s auctioneer, with
interested buyers raising their paddle at The Chester on the night or placing a
bid online.
Natasha Raskin Sharp
said: “I am very proud to be involved in The
BookBench Trail. This inspirational project celebrates the power of art,
community and the great work being done by Clan across the North-east, Moray,
Orkney and Shetland.
“I look
forward to the auction night in Aberdeen in October and hope
that between the individuals and businesses in the room, and those bidding
online, we can raise a huge amount for the charity to continue delivering its
lifeline services.”
Natasha will be joined by event host and Clan Board member
Claire Stevenson who will introduce stories from clients who have been
supported by the charity to demonstrate the impact of its services.
In
partnership with Wild in Art, The BookBench Trail aims to raise awareness of
the leading north-east cancer charity which runs five support centres and
additional outreach programmes across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Orkney
and Shetland and generate vital funding for its services.
The
project showcased 41 BookBench sculptures displayed across a public art trail
measuring more than 500 miles across Clan’s geography for nine weeks during the
summer.
Clan
chose the 1.4metre wide BookBench sculpture, which depicts an open book,
because of its lifeline listening support service which enables anyone impacted
by a cancer diagnosis to open up and tell their story.
The
sculptures have now been removed from their trail locations in preparation for
the final chapter of the art project which includes a Farewell Weekend event at the Music Hall,
Aberdeen on September 20 and 21 and the final Auction event at The Chester
Hotel on Wednesday, October 8.
Fiona
Fernie, Clan’s CEO, said: “We are now approaching the final chapter with our
BookBenches as these beautiful sculptures are set to play an important role in
raising funds for Clan.
“Trailgoers
can now buy tickets to see all the BookBenches under the one roof at the Music
Hall during our Farewell Event in a few weeks’ time and they can join us for
our Auction event at The Chester Hotel in October where we will relocate the
sculptures to their new homes.
“We
are excited to have such an esteemed and knowledgeable auctioneer as Natasha
join us for what we hope will be a very special evening for the charity.”
Clan’s
previous trail projects Light the North (2021) and The Big Hop Trail (2023)
have raised a combined total of more than £520,000 for Clan services.
For
more information, please visit: www.clancancersupport.org/the-book-bench-trail/auction/