Celebrity auction in Kingsclere
Auction of promises raises £3,000 for a village church and primary school
An auction of promises in Kingsclere on Saturday raised more than £3,000 for a village primary school and church.
Celebrity auctioneer Thomas Plant and his colleague Neil Shuttleworth, of Special Auction Services, New Greenham Park, put more than 50 lots under the hammer at the event held at Kingsclere Primary school.
The auction aimed to raise funds for the school and St Mary's Church, and it was organised by the Friends of Kingsclere School (FKS) in conjunction with St Mary's Church Keystone Project.
The highest bid was for a signed England cricket bat, donated by Vodafone, which went for £300.
Other notable bids included £240 for a morning on the gallops with Kingsclere racehorse trainer Andrew Balding, and £200 for theatre tickets donated by Lord Lloyd-Webber.
Vicar of St Mary's Church, the Rev. Lucy Thirtle, donated the promise of an afternoon of croquet at the vicarage, and she was at the auction to see this lot sell for £110.
FKS ran a bar with volunteers Carole Anne Dale and Jo Batson, who dressed as saloon girls to add some fun, with a first prize of £100 on the raffle.
FKS chairwoman, Jayne Tolhust said: “We are extremely grateful to everyone who contributed towards making the auction a success. FKS and St Mary's Church have worked together to bring in some great promises, the result of which has been to provide a fun filled evening and a
fantastic amount has been raised for the school and for the church.”