ALMOST £100,000 RAISED FOR CHARITY IN EACH AND SIR BOBBY’S ONLINE AUCTION

SOCCER Newcastle v Real MallorcaLots of celebrity support for auction which raises more than £97k for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) and Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

What do F1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton, singer songwriter Ed Sheeran, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, FIFA President Sepp Blatter and British peer Earl Spencer all have in common? They’re just some of the celebrities who donated prizes to the Online Auction which has raised a staggering £97,642 for EACH and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

EACH provides care and support to life-threatened children, young people and their families across East Anglia and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation is dedicated to finding more effective ways to detect and treat cancer.

The auction comprised of 114 lots which were as diverse as the opportunity to be guests of Ant and Dec at the Britain’s Got Talent finals, to Ed Sheeran’s clothes, to a stay at The Goring Hotel in London where EACH Royal Patron HRH The Duchess of Cambridge stayed the night before her wedding.

Raising a total of £97,642, the top lot in the auction was donated by Sepp Blatter, FIFA President, comprising of a unique opportunity for two to attend the FIFA Ballon d’Or Awards in Zurich as VIP guests. It received 74 bids and went for £7,100.

A total of 2,596 bids were made during the auction which ran from Monday October 6th – Sunday October 19th and winning bids were received from as far afield as Australia, Bangkok, Switzerland and France.

Other top lots included the chance to travel to the Russian city of St Petersburg as guests of FC Zenit St Petersburg’s manager Andre Villas-Boas to watch training and a game at the club, a cooking lesson with Jamie Oliver and a 3 course meal experience at the top of the BT Tower in London for 20 people.

From the sporting world, lots included tickets to the final day of the 2015 World Snooker Championships, Badminton Horse Trials and the Champions League final in Berlin next year. Both charities were overwhelmed by the support shown by everyone who donated lots and placed bids as well as local and national media who promoted the event and donated lots too.

The Online Auction was organised by volunteer fundraiser Gina Long, chair of the EACH Special Events Committee and long-standing supporter of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. The total amount raised by her three global online auctions has now topped £700,000.

each_auction_featured_imageGina said: “A colossal amount of money has been raised for two very special charities that make a real difference to so many people. This is thanks to the generosity of everyone who donated a prize or placed bids.

“Once again, we’re extremely grateful to the saleroom.com who hosted the auction and Lacy, Scott and Knight for managing the payments afterwards. There is no doubt also that the support we receives from the world’s media is a crucial part of the auction’s on-going success.

“I marvel at how the momentum behind our very special online auction has grown and grown. Here’s to the next auction in 2015…”

Sir Bobby Robson’s wife, Lady Elsie, said: “We’re thrilled the auction has raised so much for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.

“Gina Long is really the driving force behind it. She puts her heart and soul into fundraising for charity and her enthusiasm is second to none.

“We’re very grateful to Gina and her committee and to all the generous people who contributed auction lots. Once again, the football community has given us tremendous support and so many other people, too many to name, have helped make this auction success. It’s been a great team effort.”