How our Wemyss Ware Cat Auction raised £100K for Kirkcaldy

Did you know the Adam Smith Global Foundation runs community projects, through our charitable initiative, the Kirkcaldy Lottery? These have been ramping up since we launched the lottery two years ago, and we've had a few big hits in recent months.

At the end of the summer, artist Lisa Graef completed her striking postcard-style 'Kirkcaldy' mural. It's been catching everyone's eye as they enter the town from the north via the coastal road.

And at the weekend we said goodbye to one of the most ambitious art initatives Kirkcaldy has ever seen: a trail of Wemyss Ware-inspired giant cats, each decorated in a unique livery by a different local artist. We've been working on this for well over a year – as you can imagine it's taken a colossal amount of organisation, time and energy to get all these beautiful sculptures commissioned, painted, positioned and promoted.

The finale was a massive public auction on Saturday, and there's been quite a run-up. We recruited Hamish Robertson, a charismatic and energetic auctioneer from Bonhams; we lucked out with The Purvis Group - Construction, Logistics & Recycling Solutions – a fantastic local haulage company. We booked the theatre. We worked our socks off on every promotional angle we could think of. Sometimes it's a struggle to sell tickets... well, we needn't have worried. Tickets flew out the door and we packed the house.

After public viewing opportunities in the town square, the auction was exciting, moving and absolutely hilarious. Our Gordon Povey took to the stage next to the 'roaming' cat, Sweetie – famous for popping up in different locations around the town all summer. She inspired guessing games on social media and filled our inbox with demands we give up her location, as fans frantically tried to collect the whole set.

Gordon thanked Kirkcaldy for looking after our cats, remembering the skepticism we'd faced early on. Then we had a heartbreakingly touching performance by the kids from Kirkcaldy Actors Studio ("Down by the sea in Kirkcaldy... let's hope they stay... We'll miss you, miss the Wemyss Cats").

Hamish bounded on, comparing himself quite accurately to Michael McIntyre. He pulled out all the stops to drive up the bids – successfully. A packed, dark theatre is not the easiest environment for an auction, but it might just be the most entertaining. In a flash of creative genius, Gordon had arranged for Billy Mack, a well-known local panto dame to disrupt proceedings. Hamish ended up covered in lipstick kisses, a wonderful sport.

The cats all went for great prices; some hugely exceeding estimates. We raised well over £100,000 across 20 cats and a signed programme.

We've gone from 'How long till they get ruined" to "Why can't they stay a bit longer?". Many will indeed stay local, there was even a successful crowdfunder from Kirkcaldy Galleries.

We're so grateful to all who backed the project. Pics below by Cath Ruane!

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