A trip in Nero, a 1915 Burrell showman’s traction engine, and the chance to sit in the cockpit of a Spitfire are just two of the top lots being offered as part of an online charity auction hosted by Cambridge-based auctioneers Cheffins.
Scheduled to start at 10am tomorrow (Friday 17 April), the timed online auction is in aid of the Covid-19 fast response fund, which has been set up by Addenbrooke’s charitable trust to support Addenbrooke’s hospital with whatever they need during the coronavirus emergency crisis.
The auction will include the chance to take a ride in Nero with a pub lunch at the end of the trip courtesy of owner and Cheffins steam consultant, Willem Middlemiss.
Other lots include a tour of the Aircraft Restoration Company’s (ACT) headquarters at Duxford Airfield plus the chance to sit in a spitfire. The hangars are home to an incredible collection of restored, maintained and operated historic aircraft.
Duxford is a live airfield and the hangars are full of engineers working. ACT has provided planes and pilots for films such as the forthcoming James Bond film No Time to Die and academy-award winning film Dunkirk.
Other lots include a John Deere R43V variable speed mower (RRP €799) courtesy of Ben Burgess and a flying lesson from Marshalls of Cambridge. For the less machinery-minded there is the chance to have your name used as a character in the next Jeffrey Archer novel and the opportunity to bid for a tickets for England v India plus a tour of the pavilion at Lord’s, breakfast with racehorse trainer Michael Bell in Newmarket, a champagne reception and private dinner with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of the City of London and a private chauffeur-driven tour around Cambridge in an electric replica of a 1910 Model T Ford.
“Cheffins wants to do something positive to support our local hospital and NHS staff here in Cambridge,” says Martin Millard, director at Cheffins.
The auction closes on Friday 24 April at 7pm. Winners will be notified of their successful bids on Monday 27 April. If you are interested in bidding for any of the lots, you will be able to register and bid online from tomorrow.
The usual buyer’s premium fee of 22.5% plus VAT (27%) will be waived for this online auction as will the standard 3.0% surcharge that is usually applied to online bids. All proceeds will go directly to the Covid-19 fast response fund.
More details:
