Look To The Stars News: Ian McKellen

Give Landmines The Boot With Charity Auction

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:00:00 -0000

A British charity for victims of landmines has launched their annual online celebrity shoe auction.

The Mines Advisory Group has gathered footwear from over 50 celebrities for the auction, which will raise vital funds for their projects and draw attention to the part of the body most vulnerable to landmines.

The auction was launched by model Kelly Knox, the glamorous winner of BBC 3’s best disabled model competition, at Merchant Taylor’s Hall in London.

“We are extremely honored to have Kelly launch our shoe auction this year,” said MAG’s Chief Executive Lou McGrath OBE. “Despite being born without a left forearm, Kelly has proven disability is not a deterrent to success. She should be an inspiration to the many thousands of people who have been cruelly maimed by the thousands of landmines still threatening lives and communities worldwide.”

Celebrities who have donated their soles to the cause include Judi Dench, Geri Halliwell, Chrissie Hynde, Beverley Knight, Ian McKellen, Shirley Bassey, Russell Brand, Jarvis Cocker, Heather Mills, Joanna Lumley, Susan Sarandon, Pete Townshend, KT Tunstall, Chris Martin, Rolf Harris, and many others.

The auction ends on December 4 and can be accessed via the MAG eBay site.

British charity auction site Buy Once Give Twice also currently has some exciting opportunities for philanthropic bargain hunters.

Rays of Sunshine – a charity that grants wishes to seriously and terminally ill children in the UK – have a whole bunch of VIP tickets up for grabs on the site right now, including concert experiences with Coldplay, Madness, and the Kaiser Cheifs. There is also a Fender guitar signed by Sting up for grabs, as well as a Chelsea football shirt signed by the whole team, and the chance to hang out with Emma Thompson on the set of the new Nanny McPhee movie.

But you better be quick, this auction ends tomorrow, November 26.

Sir Ian McKellen To Help The Homeless

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen will be the guest of honor at a special charity event hosted by Village Drinks, a social networking community for gay professionals.

McKellen will deliver a speech, take questions from the audience and mix with guests at the event, to be held at the Century Members’ Club in Soho, London, on Sunday, December 14. Only 200 tickets are available, with proceeds going to the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT).

“I am delighted to be lending my support to this special festive evening organized by Village Drinks, whose wide network of influential members can only help to spread the word about AKT and the work it does,” said Sir Ian. “Raising money and highlighting the issues faced by these young homeless people is a constant challenge.”

The Albert Kennedy Trust was set up in 1989, after 16-year-old Albert Kennedy – a runaway from a children’s home – fell to his death from the top of a car park in Manchester whilst trying to escape from homophobes.

“The Albert Kennedy Trust is a cause to which everyone at Village Drinks feels very close, indeed. Its tireless work to help homeless young people never ceases to amaze us,” said Neil Spring, the founder of Village Drinks. “We want to use our network to promote the best causes that we possibly can.“

Tickets to the event can be purchased via the Village Drinks website.

British Stars Sign Favorite Books For Africa

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Some of Britain’s best loved stars have signed editions of their favorite books for a new charity auction.

Helen Mirren, Joanna Lumley, and Ian McKellen are amongst the celebrities to sign the books, which cover a wide variety of genres.

“Education offers a route out of poverty and books are the foundation of lifelong learning, yet the majority of people in Africa cannot afford books of their own,“ said Lesley Pinder, Book Aid International spokeswoman. “The proceeds from this online auction will help Book Aid International support reading and learning in some of the world’s poorest countries by getting books into libraries, universities, hospitals and refugee camps.”

The range of books chosen as favorites by the stars is vast and revealing. Mirren has signed Suite Francais by Irene Nemirovsky, Sir David Jason has chosen Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows – which he voiced for a BBC series in the 1980s – and Gary Lineker has inscribed A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein. Joanna Lumley has chosen Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, while Robbie Coltrane has signed Huckleberry Finn. Other names to take part include Twiggy, Alexander McCall Smith, Alan Rickman, Sue Townsend, Frederick Forsyth, Tim Rice, and Julian Fellowes.

Book Aid International is a non-profit organization that sends over half a million books to sub-Saharan Africa every year to support literacy, education and development. The books are almost always new books donated by UK publishers, and are distributed to national libraries, local and regional libraries, community libraries, schools, prisons, refugee camps, and NGO resource centers in 12 African countries. They also provide grants for purchasing books locally (especially those in local languages), and training and advice to ensure that books are targeted to the right groups of people and are well used.

The auction runs until October 27, and can be accessed through eBay.

Star Goodies Up For Grabs In Charity Auctions

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The Television Academy Foundation is offering an array of exclusive items and experiences to bidders through a special online charity auction hosted by eBay Giving Works.

All proceeds from the auction – which can be accessed through the eBay Giving Works website – will benefit the educational outreach programs of the Television Academy Foundation, as well as the preservation efforts of the Archive of American Television, whose aim is to create an interactive encyclopedia of television history.

A wide range of items are available, including bikes signed by Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox, VIP tickets to The Daily Show and signed memorabilia from Jon Stewart, a set visit to CSI: New York, VIP tickets and meet and greets to Jimmy Kimmel Live, and signed memorabilia from the casts of Saving Grace, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, Rescue Me, Law and Order, King of the Hill, Smallville, and Battlestar Galactica.

The auction runs until September 4.

Also running at the moment is the Celebrity Bric-A-Brac charity auction raising funds for AMREF UK – the leading health development organisation in Africa, saving and transforming the lives of some of the poorest and most marginalised people in Africa.

Items up for offer include Ian McKellen’s slippers, Mischa Barton’s handbag, Lily Allen’s dress, and memorbilia signed by Noel Gallagher, Will Young, and Jodie Kidd.

But you must be quick, the auction – which can be accessed through eBay – ends on September 1.

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