Huddersfield Town star and World Cup winner in Colne Valley charity campaign

Jun 6 2009 by Andrew Hirst, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

IT is set to be one of the biggest school charity auctions ever.

Every pupil at Colne Valley High School was asked to write to a celebrity to request donations for the auction at the end of this month.

Money raised will go towards a specialist hospital unit treating pupil Joshua Goldspink.

The 13-year-old suffers from severe haemophilia and is treated at the Paediatric and Oncology Unit at St James’ Hospital in Leeds.

The unit is one of the largest in the UK and cares for youngsters suffering from all types of serious conditions ranging from leukaemia to brain tumours.

The pupils wrote, the star names responded and it has reaped an Aladdin’s cave of items.

PE teacher Steve Mowbray, who came up with the idea for the event, said: “We’ve had more than 250 items donated. The response has been fantastic and stuff is still coming in.”

Among the auction lots is a signed 1966 World Cup winners print donated by England World Cup winner Ray Wilson, who lives in Huddersfield.

Ray, 74, was at the school yesterday for a kick-about with Joshua to publicise the auction. He said: “This is an excellent cause, I’m more than happy to support it in any way I can.”

The most sought-after lots will include a signed framed picture of cricket legend Sir Don Bradman including his Australian tour badge, which has a reserve price of £750. Sir Ian Botham’s tour jacket from Pakistan and New Zealand will fetch at least £1,000 and a framed and signed Tiger Woods photograph is reserved at £150.