Charities & Auctions
Since leaving Christie’s in 1998 Humphrey has been a regular feature on the charity auctioneering circuit, taking sales on behalf of a number of UK and overseas causes. These have included such high profile charities as The Prince’s Trust, The Red Cross, The Royal Marsden, The Arsenal Foundation, Breast Cancer Haven, RADA, The Countryside Alliance and Juvenile Diabetes. He has also supported other more diverse appeals on behalf of First Story and Fishing 4 Schools to encourage literacy and country sports amongst secondary school pupils, The Bridge Academy, the most inspirational of new schools in the London borough of Hackney and The Cricket Stadium Foundation for Rwanda, where sport is seen as a vital element in healing the tribal scars of the past.
This has led to requests from abroad and (having been a part of the celebrity strewn amfAR party at the Cannes Film Festival for many years) Humphrey now takes the hammer for America’s two highest grossing charity wine auctions, Auction Napa Valley in California and The Naples Winter Wine Festival in Florida. Having joined the Naples team in 2002, Humphrey has been an ever-present, helping to raise over $140 million in twelve years for local children’s charities.
As a diversion from his auction activities, in 2010 Humphrey was coerced back into the saddle after more than twenty years to ride in a charity race at Newbury on behalf of an organisation called Children in Crossfire, started by the inspirational Richard Moore who lost his sight to a British rubber bullet during the Ulster Troubles. He raised over £27’000 for this excellent cause and having been beaten only a length in a pulsating comeback ride where he was giving over 30 years to the winning jockey, he decided to risk his neck again both in 2011 and 2012. Despite finishing considerably nearer last than first, he managed to pull together a further £28’000 for two more young people’s charities.