GOING, going, gone! A woman from Bude has contributed over £16,000 to a cause close to her heart, following an auction of fantastic teddy bear sculptures, writes Rosie Cripps.

Kate Van Rensburg — who has lived in Bude for 21 years, and has two sons, Grayson, three, and Cooper, with husband Bo — has, indeed, ‘given something back’ after winning the bids on six bear sculptures at the recent Big Sleuth auction in Birmingham, the profits of which will go to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, a cause close to Kate’s heart.

Almost two years ago, Kate was 30 weeks’ pregnant and Christmas shopping in Birmingham city centre, when she unexpectedly went into labour.

After Kate was rushed to Birmingham Women’s Hospital, her son, Cooper, was born prematurely, weighing just three pounds. The Birmingham Children’s Hospital took care of Cooper while he was poorly, and Kate watched with baited breath as her son slowly recovered with the excellent treatment and care provided by hospital staff.

Kate said: “My son was born in Birmingham Hospital, which is now the same trust as the children’s hospital. I just wanted to give something back, because my son was born prematurely and they really helped him through it. I was looking around the Christmas markets in Birmingham when I suddenly went into labour. I was put on bed rest, and eventually we came home to Bude, so I just wanted to give thanks and give back for all they did for us.”

Kate and her father, who owns a number of hotels in Bude, noticed that there was a charity auction taking in place for the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, where they would be auctioning off beautiful bear sculptures made by a variety of Birmingham artists, all fitting in with a theme of the city and its culture. Kate added: “It was the perfect opportunity.”

The Big Sleuth auction took place on October 12 in Birmingham, presented by the charity and creative producers Wild in Art, offering 91 bears for interested buyers. With approximately 200 people present at the auction, and more than 7,000 watching the lots online, this event was sure to see funds flying in.

Kate said: “I started by purchasing one of the bears, and things just got out of hand and I ended up buying six of them! I hadn’t seen them beforehand, only in the catalogue, which didn’t do them justice — they’re beautiful.”

The bears are approximately 6ft tall, and painted with resin by local artists from the Birmingham area. The bears are painted with different designs, representing the culture and history of the city of Birmingham.

Kate’s six bears were lot eleven, Mr Khan Presents Citizen Bear by Roy Meats, £2,100; lot 12, Memoirs of Paradise by Gayani Ariyaratne, £4,200; lot 14, Life ta’bear’stry by Rebecca Cresswell, £4,200; lot 36, Captain Blue Bear by Maria Burns, £2,300; lot 72, Chillin’ in Paradise by Stedhead — Megan Hindley — £2,100 and lot 83, The Sun Bear-neath the Sea by Emma Channell, £1,550.

Kate spent a total of £16,500, which has been added to the overall total, coming to a grand £257,300, which will be presented to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.

Almost two years later, Cooper is a mostly healthy little toddler. Kate said: “He does have a slight heart murmour and gets chest infections and things like that occasionally. We’ve spent time in Exeter Hospital and, yesterday, we were at Barnstaple Hospital — they all do such great things.

“Children’s hospitals have a different side of sadness, which can be very difficult to contend with. You don’t realise how much stuff they actually need on a day-to-day basis, so lots of people just don’t realise how much fundraising can do for these places. You don’t even think about prematurity or illness in a baby until you’re touched by it.”

The six bears purchased by Kate have arrived in Bude, and have already made new homes in the town.

Captain Blue Bear and The Sun Bear-Neath the Sea are displayed at Tommy Jacks Beach Hotel; Mr Khan is displayed in An Mor Hotel and Memoirs of Paradise, Life Ta’bear’stry and Dreaming of Paradise are displayed at the Hebasca Hotel.

Kate added: “All the bears are so different and represent so many different aspects of life, so it’s difficult to pick a favourite, but Memoirs of Paradise has a very pretty face!”

- On February 1, 2016, the Birmingham Children’s Hospital joined with the Birmingham Women’s Hospital to create the Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust — the first of its kind in the UK. To find out more, visit www.bch.org.uk