A dinner cooked for you in your home by Bake-Off judge Prue Leith, a paramotor flight with adventurer Bear Grylls and a personal tour of Althorp by Earl Spencer are some of the prizes in a new charity auction.
The auction is raising money for the Devizes Constituency Association Fund, which is administered by Wiltshire Community Foundation. The fund was launched earlier this year by businesspeople in the area after Devizes MP Danny Kruger suggested they work together to raise funds for voluntary groups in his constituency, which includes the Marlborough and Pewsey areas.
It has already awarded £20,000 to the voluntary group Love Devizes and £1,000 to 1st Devizes Scouts.
The online action, which runs until December 12, has already attracted £7,000 in bids. Mrs Leith, mother of Mr Kruger, has pledged to cook dinner for four at the top bidder’s home, or alternatively the MP will cook at his home, directed by his mum.
Earl Spencer has pledged a tour of his family home of more than 500 years, which houses one of Europe’s greatest art collections, for up to 12 people, with tea at the end.
Mr Grylls, who has a home near Marlborough, has offered the tandem flight over the Wiltshire countryside with an instructor and alongside him on his own paramotor.
Other prizes include a private tour of and a tasting at Ramsbury Brewery and Distillery, England v India test match tickets, golf at Bowood and also at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club’s links course at Hoylake, lunch for four at Chelsea restaurant Stanley’s and lunch for three people with Chief of General Staff General Sir Mike Jackson at The Bell in Ramsbury.
Rupert Stephenson, one of the founders of the Devizes Constituency Association Fund, said: “I was delighted Danny asked if I could help organise setting up the fund and raise money for it.
“We’ve been pleased to see the money raised so far get put to good use. This auction was a way of attracting further funds so we can help other local groups across the constituency area. We are very keen to support children’s mental health and also Afghan families being re-settled in the county.”
He said he has been amazed by the quality of the 23 lots on offer in the auction. “I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone for their generosity in offering these prizes, they really are fantastic.
“I would urge people to keep an eye on the auction because the lots are only available for a short time. We would hate people to miss out.
Wiltshire Community Foundation joint chief executive Fiona Oliver said: “One of the strengths of the community foundation is that we connect people who care about their communities with the causes that matter to them and we make it easy for them to give.
“We are delighted to administer this fund and to help it attract and assess grant applications as well as monitor them afterwards. It’s very exciting to see events like this helping to raise further funds.”
Mr Stephenson said: “We had no hesitation in working with Wiltshire Community Foundation because it has made the whole process very easy and we know its knowledge of the voluntary sector in the county will ensure the money we raise goes to where it will be used most effectively.”
Find the auction at https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/dccfonlineauction#none
To find out more about the community foundation’s work, go to wiltshirecf.org.uk
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