Tracey Emin and Nancy Dell’Olio teamed up to bid against Yasmin Le Bon at last night’s Lighthouse Gala Auction. The lot in question was a private recital by renowned cellist, Jamie Walton who eventually agreed to offer two recitals after the women got down to some fierce bidding.    

On a very successful night one bidder paid £10,000 for Joan Rivers to host a dinner party, another bidder paid over £3000 to go on a black cab tour of the east end with Barbara Windsor and a unique opportunity to have dinner with the Duchess of York raised £6,000. In total the evening raised over £250,000 for HIV and sexual health charity, Terrence Higgins Trust. 

The auction, sponsored by Snow Queen Vodka, was attended by high profile supporters including Tracey, Yasmin Le Bon, Nancy Dell’Ollio, David Collins, Pattie Boyd, and Tolulu Adeyemi. Now in its thirteenth year, it was held at Christie’s and saw a fantastic array of luxury items, bespoke packages and 'money can't buy' experiences snapped up by eager bidders. 

An array of original artwork went under the hammer. A watercolour by Tracey called ‘Sex 24 25-11-07 Sydney’ was snapped up for £22,000.  A photographic triptych by Jack Vettriano and Fred Marcarini as well as a painting by Jack raised £28,000 in total. Other artwork included pieces by David Bailey, Jake & Dinos Chapman and Mario Testino.

Debbie Holmes, Director of Fundraising at Terrence Higgins Trust said “We’re delighted the auction was such a success.  There was some intense bidding going on and our supporters really dug deep. We’d like to thank everyone involved. The money raised will make a huge difference to our work, supporting people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS.”

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