The Annual Friends of The Elephantmen Charity Prize Draw is in its final stages, raising money this year for Alder Hey Children’s Charity, with a raffle draw that includes some amazing comic art by creators including Boo Cook, Dan Cornwell, Barry Kitson, John McCrea, Ian Stopforth, Chris Weston, and many others.
Organised by Andy Cowburn, run via a dedicated Facebook group and JustGiving Page, participants simply make a donation and provide him with contact details to have your name entered in the draw.
Over £2300 in donations has been raised so far. The deadline for entries is at midnight on 11th November 2026, with the draw following on the 14th during the Thought Bubble Festival.
Alder Hey Children’s Charity, where Andy’s youngest daughter recently had heart surgery, raises funds towards the pioneering work at Alder Hey. Your support ensures the 450,000 children they see each year will have access to the best facilities and equipment, and that the benefits of our innovating work are felt by families throughout the world.
You can view photos of all the prizes and information on the artists and their donations on the Elephantmen Charity Prize Draw Facebook Page.
Please give what you can and good luck in the draw!
• Make your donation – £20 advised – via this JustGiving Page to be entered in the draw, providing your preferred means of contact, such as through Facebook Messenger, to have your name entered in the draw.
• Follow the dedicated Facebook group to see all the donations, and simply enjoy some comics banter!
The Friends of Elephantmen Story
Andy Cowburn’s charity fundraising began as the result of family circumstance, but sprang from his admiration of Richard Starkings long running comic creation.
“Over five years ago, I set up a little fan group for my favourite comic book, Elephantmen,” Andy explains. “I had been thinking about doing something for charity for a while.
“My wife and I had lost a child to a rare genetic disorder and had discovered that some members of my family, including myself, carried a defective gene that has a propensity to produce heart conditions.
We had another daughter and she had been diagnosed at the 20 week scan with a rare condition called Ebstein’s Anomaly.”
It was at this point Andy’s fundraising efforts began.
“I had approached the creator of the Elephantmen comics, Richard Starkings and one of the artists, Boo Cook to sign some books,” he recalls. “Both of them were really generous, and it inspired me to have the first prize draw.
“It has gradually grown year on year, and I’m proud to say I have become friends with both Rich and Boo, who have continued to support the charity draw every year since.”
Since the start, Andy has had three main aims for the Prize Draw: to raise money for children’s charities,
and to move away from the charity auction format in order to give people with lower incomes an opportunity to own a piece of original comic book art; and to promote the work of independent/small press artists.
“Having a draw might not raise quite as much money as an auction,” Andy acknowledges, “but the reaction of some people when they win a piece of art they would never have the disposable income to buy, is priceless. It is one of the most satisfying things about doing the prize draw.
“As for the the other two aims, I am doing my best with the help of all of you to achieve those too,” he noted on Facebook. “The more we can spread the word, the better we can meet those two goals.
“I really couldn’t do this without the help of everyone that donates and shares the draw. I can’t stress enough, just how grateful I am to each and every one of you.
Make your donation – £20 advised – via this JustGiving Page to be entered in the draw, and then provide Andy Cowburn with contact details through Facebook Messenger to have your name entered in the draw. Follow the dedicated Facebook group to get Andy’s contact information, see all the donations, and simply enjoy some comics banter!
THE FINE PRINT
First drawn gets first choice, second drawn gets second pick and so on until all prizes are claimed. Winners will be contacted the day after the draw and will have 24 hours to respond. After 24 hours if no response, the Friends of Elephantmen will move on to the next person in line. So please make sure you check your messenger, email, or whatever contact you gave when donating.
If you want to donate without being entered in the draw, please make sure you put, NO DRAW, when donating.
The last entries have to be in by midnight on 11th November 2026, to give the team time to prepare the tokens for the draw.
Prizes for entries from the UK will be posted free of charge. Entries outside the UK will be accepted, but on the understanding that the prize winner will cover shipping costs.
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Comic Art, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Other Worlds
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