Christmas Appeal: Curry with Yasmin is hot lot in charity auction
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Your support makes all the difference.Bidding for the 41 lots in The Independent's charity auction has entered its last week and there are still plenty of bargains to be had.
One of the most popular lots has been a meal out for two adults and two children with The Independent's columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown at her favourite curry house in Southall. The highest bid at the moment is £2,500, which has easily topped last year's winner, who paid just £1,450.
Another very popular lot has been a ringside seat with Susannah Frankel, The Independent's in-house fashionista, at a top designer show in London Fashion Week. So far bidding has shot up to £2,000, which is well over £1,000 more than last year.
A ramble in the Yorkshire Dales with Janet Street-Porter is also attracting interest, with bidding reaching £1,250 - around £500 less than last year.
One of the lots which arguably offers the best value for money is also attracting attention. The bidding currently stands at £1,005 for a day out at Lord's for a whole cricket team's worth of children (and that includes a 12th man - as well as an accompanying adult for each child). The group will watch a Middlesex game and later enjoy some coaching from Angus Fraser, the former England player, who now writes for The Independent.
Whoever goes for the above lot could even combine it with another and bid for a day with Mark Steel, the stand-up comedian, alternative historian and lethally witty columnist, who is also an avid cricket fan. The highest bid so far is £999 - well up on last year's £677.
Heavy interest is also being shown in Lot 39, an audience for up to 12 people with Robert Fisk, in which The Independent's award-winning journalist will give a lunchtime lecture on Islam and the West followed by questions. Highest bid is £1,993.17.
The auction closes at 1pm next Friday. All winning bids go to our Christmas Appeal, A Better Place. Donations are split among three charities: Education Action International, Children in Crisis and Practical Action.
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