“Protecting Children. Providing Solutions”
Lumos, the charity founded in 2005 by J.K. Rowling, was created with the aim of ending the systematic institutionalization of children. Institutionalization affects over eight million children across the globe, who are denied a family and placed in so-called “orphanages,” often due to poverty, disability, and discrimination.
In August 2013, we caught up with Lumos’s Head of Communications, Vicky Gillings, to discuss the charity and its activities.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard first appeared as a fictional book in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book of the young wizard's adventures. It was purported to be a popular collection of five wizarding children's fairy tales that was bequeathed to Hermione Granger by the will of Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. Containing clues that were to prove crucial to Harry and his friends during his final mission to destroy Lord Voldemort, only one story – "The Tale of the Three Brothers" – is recounted in the book.
In The Tales of Beedle the Bard, the four remaining stories are revealed for the very first time. Net proceeds from the sale of this book go to fund the work of Lumos.
In 2013, J.K. Rowling auctioned off the beautiful Lumos Maxima charm bracelet, a duplicate of her own treasured possession. The 11 handmade sterling silver charms, finished by hand with gold highlights and precious stones, draw inspiration from the Harry Potter series, excluding the butterfly, which is, of course, the Lumos logo.
During its Sotheby's auction, the bracelet was purchased for £20,000 by Scottish businessman Alan Fergusson. Fergusson commented on the purchase of the bracelet after the auction:
J.K. Rowling said before the auction that she was certain the sister bracelet would go to a very nice woman, and she can be confident the bracelet will be treasured by Yvonne and my family for generations. My wife absolutely adores the Harry Potter series, and she now can't wait until Christmas Day to open her present. As someone who supports a number of charitable causes, it has also been very pleasing to back a charity [that] creates opportunity for so many disadvantaged young people across the world.
At the Sotheby's auction, a one-of-a-kind copy of the deluxe illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, signed by J.K. Rowling herself, was sold in order to raise money for the Lumos foundation.
The book, accompanied by a letter of authentication from Bloomsbury's Publishing Director, was auctioned off December 17, 2015, in London for £13,750.