St Anne’s raised almost £500 for charity at a “promises auction” on Saturday, 26th January. This sum was donated to Helen and Douglas House, and Childreach International.
The idea for the event came from first-year Geography student, Lauren Brown. Brown wanted to raise money for Childreach International, on whose behalf she will be trekking across the Great Wall of China this summer. The other charity, Helen and Douglas House, was voted St Anne’s ‘Charity of the Year’. It is a local charity and represents the first children’s and young adults’ hospices in the world.
Together, Brown and JCR Charities Rep Ben Rosenbaum organised the auction where students sold “promises” to the highest bidder. The event was described by one St Anne’s student as having a “raucous atmosphere and some ridiculously high levels of generosity.”
Promises included “granting the highest bidder access to the donor’s Facebook account for 24 hours”; “drinking a dirty pint of the highest bidder’s choosing”; and “letting the highest bidder write on the donor’s face before a tutorial.”
The biggest bid of the night was for the opportunity to wine and dine History and Politics student Joe Collin. The promise sold for £100 – more than a fifth of the total amount raised.
Collin told Cherwell, “I was persuaded into [offering myself as a date] by Ben Rosenbaum, the charities rep and thought I’d get £5 tops. At around £15 two guys started bidding, and neither would give up.
“I am glad that Ryan Widdows won. He is the only other person in my year who does my subject so we have spent a ridiculous amount of time together already. This time he just gets to pay for the privilege.”
The two will be going to McDonald’s next week for their date and plan to wear suits for the occasion.
Another notable bid, which raised the third highest amount of the night, was the opportunity to cut the donor’s hair. Collin said, “The best way to describe it would be that it looked like several racoon tails. It was shaved in most places with the odd tufts of long hair which themselves were often trimmed in weird ways. Absolutely shocking.”
St Anne’s JCR Charities Rep, Ben Rosenbaum, told Cherwell, “The final total raised was £457, which was an absolutely brilliant result. I was a bit nervous before the event as I’d never organised an auction before, but my fears were completely allayed when 50 or so people turned up. It was an incredibly fun event and I think everyone who turned up had a great time.”
JCR President Oscar Boyd also enjoyed the event, stating, “Between the items and promises offered, there was something for everyone and the adrenaline rush you got from bidding made it one of the most exciting events we’ve hosted. The highest bid of the night was extraordinary but actually quite understandable. I mean who wouldn’t want to go on a date with Joe Collin, especially if it also supports two fantastic charities?”
