Celebrities raise almost £150,000 for EACH
An auction of celebrity items raised £146,466 for East Anglia's Children's Hospices
The Celebrity Bottom Drawer was organised by comedian Griff Rhys Jones to support East Anglia's Children's Hospices.
It featured over 200 lots from A-listers including Ed Sheeran, Cate Blanchett, Delia Smith, Paul McCartney, Ricky Gervais and Coldplay.
The top performer was an original piece of artwork from Tracey Emin which fetched £23,000, followed by a headcollar worn by Enable and singed by John Gosden and EACH Ambassador Frankie Dettori for £10,500.
Dawn French's Rolex came in third after reaching £8,000 and Griff Rhys Jones' Montblanc pen secured £7,000 for the charity.
Griff said: "It was a top drawer result for the bottom drawer auction, with wild and marvellous bidding right up to the end. I want to thank everybody who donated their treasures, everybody who bid and all the back room folk who made it happen, and now how have quite a job ensuring that everything gets to the right place as quickly as possible.
"It’s a happier Christmas for EACH and the people they are there for. The bidding wars are a bit brutal, so I'd love to just say to everybody who missed their lot that if they would consider putting some of their underbid into a Christmas box for EACH it would make a huge difference. Sometimes there were nine or 10 bids on items.
"If you missed out, don't let the hospices miss out. We really value your intent. You can still help."
It's the fourth Christmas running where Griff has raised money for EACH with last year's star-studded show at Ipswich's Regent Theatre and solo performances in 2017 and 2018.
Becky Redbond, EACH Events Fundraising Manager, said: "Once again, after another superb Christmas fundraising effort, raising more than ever before, we’d like to say a massive thank you to Griff. Like all charities, it’s been a very tough year for EACH, but this certainly gives us a great and much-welcome boost at the end of it.
"We’d also like to give big thanks to Bid In, which hosted the online auction completely free of charge, as well as our sponsor Citrix, likewise all those who worked behind the scenes, the celebrities who donated and people who made such generous bids. We hope you enjoy the new year in the company of your new celebrity treasures!"
According to EACH, the charity has forecast a loss of £2.2 million in funding over the next 12 months as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which is a third of the total it needs for its services.