22 September 2008

Loads of goodies donated by today’s coolest bands are set to be auctioned off on Ebay this week to raise money for international development charity ActionAid.

The auction will give fans a chance to get their hands on items including a stage backdrop from Editors, an harmonica signed by Duffy and drum sticks from Taking Back Sunday plus lots more.

All items will be up for auction from 22 September to 1 October.

Anella Wickenden, ActionAid youth manager, is organising the ‘Bollocks to Poverty’ auction to raise vital funds for ActionAid’s work in Africa, Asia and the Americas. ‘Bollocks to Poverty’ is ActionAid’s campaign that lets young people join in the fight against global poverty.

She said: “We’ve had an amazing response from some of Britain’s hottest bands and singers. Now it’s a chance for fans to snap up memorabilia knowing that the money they bid will help change the lives of some of the world’s poorest people.”

Just a small amount can make a huge difference, so the more money raised by the auction, the better.

• £10 can provide five families in Liberia with enough seeds and tools to rebuild their livelihoods.
• £60 can provide a child in Malawi with life saving antiretroviral treatments for HIV for two months.
• £133 can enable 20 teenagers set up a community radio station in their favela (slum) in Brazil.
• £400 can provide enough medicines and materials for one community health centre in Cambodia.
• £1,000 can provide education for five ex-child soldiers in Sierra Leone.

ActionAid’s ‘Bollocks to Poverty’ auction launches today.