A local community volunteer recently completed a magnificent mural after 130 hours of painting by hand during the summer of 2022 at Geek Retreat Rotherham to raise money, food and awareness for Rawmarsh Foodbank.
On Sunday 14th August 2022, Jacqueline DeVeaux scrupulously stippled the finishing touches of acrylic paint onto the 8ft x 11ft vibrant visual at Geek Retreat Rotherham, followed by a heartfelt thank you speech and ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the occasion.
Taking 18 days to complete, the wall of wonder features popular characters from anime shows, trading card games and video games. “I have enjoyed every minute” states Jacqueline.
Presenting to the supporters of the project, the mirthful meister chuckled, “We purposely kept Pikachu’s nose until last to symbolise the completion of the mural – and also because some people found it annoying!”
On a more serious note, Jacqueline explained the importance of foodbanks, which are so desperately depended on locally and nationally. She went on to thank the host of the showpiece: “Massive thanks to Geek Retreat Rotherham for championing this fundraising project”
Appreciation, acknowledgement and praise were also showered upon supporters of the project: the staff and customers at Geek Retreat, the project managers and trustees from the Rawmarsh Foodbank, the Trussell Trust area manager and tech support team, Rawmarsh Runners, family and friends for their contributions and help with practical elements of the project.
“Thank you to customers, new and regular, for cheering me on and whose niche knowledge and areas of expertise have been extremely valuable for some of the details for parts of the mural.” Her cheeky grin reappeared and she added “Thanks also to everyone who let me know when I’d ‘missed a bit!’”
The emotional enthusiast concluded her tribute, “Last but by no means least, a massive thank you to every single person who has donated money, food or volunteered their time to support and spread awareness of the Rawmarsh Foodbank. Without the love, care and generosity of the community, it would not be possible for operations like foodbanks to function.”
Michael Herrington, the owner of the gaming café, who put together the fun, colourful and challenging design provided as a reference image for the mural for Jacqueline to paint, proceeded to cut the ribbon in a symbolic gesture of both accomplishment for the finished fundraiser and anticipation that the decoration will be enjoyed for years to come.
Presenting her with a beautiful bouquet, Mike congratulated Jacqueline and added, “We’d just like to say thank you. Just amazing! We look forward to supporting Rawmarsh Foodbank”
Trustees, project managers and volunteers are working hard behind the scenes to prepare for the launch of Rawmarsh Foodbank in Autumn 2022, which will be run from Rawmarsh Community School. A 20ft container, which will be used for foodbank operations, was delivered and sited on Friday 26th August, thanks to Rotherham Logistics and RCS site staff.
A JustGiving page for Rawmarsh Foodbank has now been set up to receive donations of support :
justgiving.com/campaign/rawmarshfoodbank
Rawmarsh Foodbank is part of the Arc Church family. Arc Church is a registered charity: 1198629.
More information is available on the facebook page and website.
