Bill Nighy and JLS help charity auction raise $525,000

Stars including Bill Nighy, Jls and actress Amanda Holden have helped raise $525,000 (£350,000) for cancer charities by auctioning off prizes. The celebrities all donated lots to the Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough Charity Auction, founded in memory of legendary England soccer coach Sir Bobby Robson, who died of cancer in 2009.
Nighy offered up a lunch date with one lucky fan, and pulled in $6,000 (£4,000), while tickets to one of JLS’ farewell concerts in December (13) sold for $3,825 (£2,550).
Amanda Holden’s VIP tickets to U.K. talent show Britain’s Got Talent went under the hammer for $5,175 (£3,450).
Altogether the auction raised around $525,000 – $225,000 (£150,000) more than the previous auction in 2011.
Sir Bobby’s widow, Lady Elsie Robson, says, “We’re extremely grateful to everyone who has so generously supported Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough Auction.
“We’d like to thank everyone who donated or bid on an auction item. The money raised will help us continue the work Bob began when he launched this charity five years ago.”
Funds raised from the auction will go towards the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and cancer wards at Suffolk Hospitals in England.