Portchester pet portrait artist donates prize to charity bake off raising funds for research into long Covid

Pet-inspired baked goods are appearing in kitchens across the area for a charity challenge, which will see a local artist rewarding the winning animal lover.

One lucky entry to the Pawfect Virtual Baked Off organised by Bake4MECFS, fundraising for the Open Medicine Foundation, will be chosen to receive a custom pet portrait from Portchester-based artist Chloe Bruce

Chloe, who runs Pet Portraits – Paint the Moment, specialises in original pet portraits in graphite pencil.

She said: ‘I received a message on Instagram from Bake4MECFS, asking if I would like to donate a prize as this is a pet-themed competition, so a portrait of the winner’s pet seemed only fitting.’

This virtual contest is raising funds for research into long Covid and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Actress Jennie Jacques, an ambassador for the Open Medicine Foundation, said: ‘I was over the moon when artist Chloe Bruce said she was gifting a framed pet portrait.

‘The kindness from artists on Instagram has been the cherry on top of the cake for this round, artists Felicity Franks and Kitty Sharp are each gifting a personalised prize too.’

Rebecca Handler, the charity’s communications specialist, added: ‘We are so excited to see artists like Chloe generously lending their talent for such an important cause.

‘Early on in the pandemic, Open Medicine Foundation realised a percentage of those who do not recover from Covid-19 may end up with chronic fatigue syndrome.

‘We're now leading a large-scale international study following the potential conversion of long Covid to ME.’

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To enter the baking event, Bake4MECFS is asking pet owners and animal lovers to donate £4, and then bake something animal themed.

All ages and levels of baking are encouraged to join in, and entries should be submitted by posting a photo on social media and tagging the charity @bake4mecfs on Instagram.

Entries can also be emailed directly to [email protected], with extra brownie points if pets feature in the photo alongside the baked goods.

The deadline for entries is the end of May, when a winner will be chosen by the event's celebrity judges, Vikings actors Jennie Jacques and Linus Roache, alongside YouTube dog star Milo Bennett.

Visit bake4mecfs.com for more or visit paintthemoment.co.uk to see Chloe’s work.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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