Category: Children in Need
Date: 13.11.2005
Printable version
Some of Britain's best loved celebrities rubbed shoulders with members of the Rich List in a night which saw Britain's sporting greats lead the way in raising nearly half a million pounds for Â鶹Éç Children in Need at The Great Big Bid charity gala auction.
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David Beckham, champion rally driver Colin McRae and rising star of the Pro-Am race scene and model Jodie Kidd all contributed amazing lots to the event which kicks off a week of money-raising on Â鶹Éç ONE in The Great Big Bid.
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Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff's Ashes-wining bat - custom made for him and one of the few to survive the England hero's smashing performance during the Test series - sold for £22,000 to millionaire UK businessman Nick Robinson in a heated battle with Australian paparazzi boss Darryn Lyons.
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The battle-lines were drawn between the two nations once more as Lyons threatened to turn the bat to ashes on Australian soil. The bat, signed by Freddie, was only saved from going up in flames when Robinson made the winning bid as the hammer was about to fall.
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David Beckham once again showed his generosity towards children by offering four places at the opening of his new football academy.
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The David Beckham Academy is due to open next month and the four lucky children will not only meet their hero but be presented with exclusive new kit and be the first to try out the facilities.
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The lot was snapped up for £15,000 by Peter Jones from Â鶹Éç TWO's Dragon's Den who immediately, on Beckham's recommendation, presented it back to Â鶹Éç Children in Need to select the four children from one of the many projects they fund.
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Peter also walked away with one of the evenings most expensive lots when he bid £55,000 for a passenger ride with World Rally Champion driver Colin McRae.
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Supermodel Jodie Kidd, who has recently made a name a for herself as a skilled amateur racing driver, offered the experience of a lifetime in a trip which will see the winning bidder, computer magnate Paul Barry Walsh, who paid £15,000, take a luxury private jet to Bologna for a VIP visit to the Bologna Motor Show where he will see Jodie compete in the Maserati Trofeo Pro-Am race.
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Presented by Terry Wogan, Natasha Kaplinsky and Fearne Cotton, The Great Big Bid charity gala auction will be broadcast at 6.20pm on Â鶹Éç ONE on Sunday 13 November.
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Viewers will also be able to take part, even if they don't have the bank balances to compare with the VIPs and entrepreneurs in the studio.
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The Bid A Quid competition will give viewers a chance to phone or text to win some equally impressive lots for just a pound with the proceeds going to Â鶹Éç Children in Need.
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Lots include a visit to nature-lovers paradise Costa Rica with Bill Oddie, visit Michael Ball on Broadway with the best seats in the house, and a chance to celeb-spot over lunch with Jackie Collins in one of LA's best eateries.
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More information is available on all the items up for grabs in The Great Big Bid at bbc.co.uk/greatbigbid.
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