Art For Cure is now a highly successful national charity, raising money for specific breast cancer research projects and grant funding to support services for those affected by breast cancer in our location of East Anglia.
At 46 years old I was diagnosed with breast cancer. No family history, no genetic links and with no apparent risk factors- my world was well and truly rocked! After a year of treatment involving surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy I felt so relieved to be here, it motivated me to raise money for research so I rather blindly, with no experience of selling art, hosted an art and sculpture exhibition in my home and gardens and raised an astonishing £100k in a weekend!
The rest is history, as this felt such a positive and unique way to raise money for breast cancer research and support services that Art For Cure was registered as a non-profit, national charity with a dynamic all-volunteer team of 10, trustees team of medics and professional financiers and a pool of amazing exhibition volunteers.
We have staged 10 exhibitions to date in glorious and historic private venues in Suffolk- Glemham Hall, Somerleyton Hall and Helmingham Hall as well as Bankside Gallery next to Tate Modern in London selling an astonishing £3 million of art and sculpture with donations well exceeding £1.3 million.
We have charity-partnered the Battersea Affordable Art Fair in London, been commended by Downing Street, won Suffolk awards and even appeared in Vogue! We have cycled in Vietnam, Cambodia and India to supplement our donations as well as moving online with our exhibitions through the pandemic.
What is important to us as this charity has so brilliantly evolved, is that at our core we are focussed on those women (and some men) who every hour of every day are told they have breast cancer and striving to make a difference with our fundraising towards improved targeted treatments for the future.
Along with grant-funding donations more locally in East Anglia with supporting services of counselling, nutrition, post-surgical exercise classes, chemotherapy relief packs and more we help ensure their journey through and after treatment is a little smoother.
Belinda Gray
Founder
