They usually sell for thousands of pounds, but you could become the proud owner of a vintage rocking horse restored by Gloucestershire-based artist Ellen Wilkinson for as little as £5.
The fleabitten grey, a vintage Norton and Barker hand carved in Birmingham in the 1920-30s, is being offered for a prize draw in order to raise money for cancer research.
A single entry costs £5, while £20 earns five entries and £50 equates to 15.
£100 gives you 35 chances of winning.
“I spotted a Crowdfunder email about running prize draws, and I thought it would be a great idea,” said Ellen.
“This way it will not only support the charity, but also give someone, who may not have the means to buy one of my artworks, the opportunity to own one, so it’s a win, win for me.”
Real horse hair
‘Piccolo’ has a mane and tail made from real horse hair and hand-painted glass eyes.
He is 48 inches (12hh) at the highest point of the neck, with a stand length of 54 inches.
Originally he would have been made to carry a large child or small adult.
“While I refurbish these horses mainly as art pieces, they were originally designed as functional toys and this horse should be fine to ride now, although he is an old horse so should be treated with care,” said Ellen, who initially purchased the once-tatty horse to restore and sell on for a profit after spotting him on Facebook marketplace.
However, she decided to set up the crowdfunder after learning that its owner had been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer.
“Although rocking horse refurbishment is the way I make a living, I felt uncomfortable using this one to turn a profit,” she said.
“I felt it could serve a greater purpose and knew I wanted to use the horse to raise some money for the previous owner’s chosen charity, Cancer Research UK.”
A sense of character
Piccolo now wears leather tack and a hand-stitched, removable double bridle, as well as a straight-cut pigskin saddle, which is fixed to the horse.
The stand is made new from reclaimed timber, making the grey rocking horse strong and fit to last for the next 100 years.
“I wasn’t sure what he was going to be until I put his new eyes in and then got a sense of his character,” said Ellen.
“With his lovely dished face, he reminded me of an Arab and the colouring just seemed to suit him.”
The crowdfunder
All the money raised by the Crowdfunder (after costs have been deducted) will be donated to Cancer Research UK.
There is an initial target of £3,000 and more than £2,000 has been raised so far.
The prize draw closes on July 4 and is open to UK residents.
National courier PJ Parcels has offered to sponsor the transport to get Piccolo to his new home.
“Cancer is a disease that has impacted so many people’s lives. I lost two of my grandparents to it, and so many of my friends’ parents when I was growing up,” said Ellen.
“Cancer Research UK are doing so much ground-breaking work to find cures, it really is a worthy cause that I am very keen to support.”
Images © Ellen Wilkinson
