I don't know if we are the only place to have a charity auction, it raises money to purchase Christmas hampers and fuel vouchers for needy people. Very popular are lots which normally money cannot buy.

Two lots appealed to me although I didn't bid for either. The first was our 'First Minister' and our Minister of Health washing your car in front of the 'parliament' building - very public place and fetched £600 (that is one expensive car wash!). The second was 'Shred a quarter of a million pounds at the States of Jersey Treasury and take it home in a box!' I am not sure yet how much that one raised but it would be fun to have quarter of a million pounds in a box!

So do you have charity auctions and if so what sort of lots are put up for grabs?

I just found another couple of lots which might be fun. Firstly Lunch for 4 people at Government House with the Lieutenant Governor Sir John Cheshire and Lady Cheshire. He is the Queen's representative here and is driven about in a car without a number plate, just like the Queen.

This one is great for those with young children - A personal delivery of your children's Christmas presents to your home, on Christmas eve, by Santa, arriving on his full size sleigh with reindeer, and accompanied by his shepherds.

£21,702 was raised in Channel 103's charity auction yesterday - beating last year's total.

There were more than 130 lots for bidders to choose from.

Not a bad sum of money from a total population of about 86,000 people in just one day.

Here in Philadelphia, we do not have anything like that all. I must admit that it all sounds very nice.

Even if we had something like that here, not sure who would bid on them, except for those that have an over abundance of money. But I have a feeling with our mayor and governor, who seem to be joined at the hip, that not many regardless of their income would bid...as dinner/breakfast would not go over big with the people here.

However, the Santa one would undoubtly score big here, as little tots would love to see Santa deliver their toys complete with his reindeer sleigh.


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Agnes (JTJ)

We don't have anything like that here that is city-wide sponsered. The hospitals here have them, though. Silent auctions for all manner of things from expensive jewelry to vacations to fun things like you're talking about. Even though the city doesn't sponser the events, typically one or more city officials (or state officials, since we're the state capital as well), get involved with donated time. They do well every year. The money usually goes to either the hospital's childrens' wing or one of a number of childrens' charities, like Toys for Tots or the Cedars Youth Home. It's nice.

Don't think there's many auctions in this area. We usually have Santa on a motarised flat (really just a lorry) raising money though

I have noticed that we seem to have a lot of toy drives and money donations right here in the colleges. College kids are often one of the poorest groups of people, but they sure do like to give, even if it's not much.

My wife and her friend have just completed a charity auction run entirely by themselves for an African cause. The auction was two part, one part direct bidding and the other on ebay. One of the lots sold on ebay was a small prop from a very well known UK TV soap, which fetched £620.
They've raised several thousand pounds so far, with a number of ebay 'collecters items' still to be sold.