A CRANTOCK woman has swelled a charity’s coffers after raising more than £26,000 with her bellyboard art initiative.

Sue Dennett’s Where Art Meets The Wave fundraiser involved 43 Cornish artists painting a traditional wooden belly board, which were auctioned off to the highest bidder in support of Cornwall Hospice Care.

Established names including Michael Praed from Marazion, Kurt Jackson of St Just in Penwith, Dick Twinney from St Columb Major, Anthony Frost from St Ives and Instagram favourite Steven Camps from Newquay were among the artists who took part in the project

The one-of-a kind bellyboards were sponsored by Rodda's Creamery and specially made for the project by Fyne Boat Kits of Kendal and Derek Thompson of Surf Classic Boards.

They were exhibited at venues across Cornwall throughout July, August and September to give people a chance to experience the full impact of the artistic collaboration.

The artworks were exhibited together at St Michael's Church on Thursday (September 25) ahead of the online auction ending.

The well attended event was compered by Bradley Start from Start & Co Estate Agents. The top seller of the night was the board painted by Kurt Jackson, which sold for £3,860. Stephen Camps’ bellyboard went for £580 and Anthony Frost’s design sold for £500.

Mrs Dennett, who has been volunteer fundraising for Cornwall Hospice Care for 40 years, previously spearheaded the 38 Churns Project in 2022. The art initiative involved milk churns being painted by local artists and auctioned off, which raised £48,021 for the charity.

Mrs Dennett said: ““We reached out to our local community of artists to ask if they would take one of our bellyboards to transform, and the response was overwhelming. We’ve had everyone from passionate hobbyists to established names wanting to get involved.

“Like our previous project, 38 Churns, this was all about harnessing creativity and community to support the remarkable work Cornwall Hospice Care delivers every day.”

The funds from the boards, which were auctioned online via David Lay Auctions, will be donated towards helping modernise Mount Edgcumbe Hospice, including two new critical end-of-life care beds, the first of their kind in Cornwall, and will also support St Julia's Hospice in Hayle.

Ben from Cornwall Hospice Care said: “Once again we're blown away by the support of our incredible Cornish community.

“The art on display was all of such a high calibre and so diverse in nature, it's a real honour to see it all together for the first time. Our heartfelt thanks goes to the wonderful Sue Dennett who has poured heart and soul in to this event and made it such a fantastic success, and of course to the 43 artists who gave their work for free to support the vital work we do at St Julia's Hospice in Hayle and Mount Edgcumbe Hospice in St Austell.

“The care at one of our hospices now costs £26 an hour, so £26,000 will go a very long way to providing support to our patients and their families when they need us most."