Charity ‘Auction of Hope’ exceeds all expectations

A VIRTUAL ‘Auction of Hope’ which has taken place outside Omagh in aid of two well-known charities has far exceeded expectations and looks set to prove one of the most successful fundraising efforts locally.

Richard Beattie, of Beattie Livestock Sales, in conjunction with leading online platform MartEye, hosted the agricultural auction in aid of Air Ambulance NI and the Cancer Fund for Children on Friday evening.

Due to the continuing restrictions in place because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the event was held online.

With donations already far in excess of the £20,000 initially aimed for, the hope now is that the auction will bring in at least £100,000 for the two charities.

The idea for the auction came about when Libby Clarke, a member of Air Ambulance NI’s Agribusiness group, approached Mr Beattie asking if it would be possible to organise the event, alongside his own chosen charity of the Cancer Fund for Children.

Over 100 auction lots were obtained by the Air Ambulance NI Agribusiness group. The fact that they appealed to both farmers and non-agricultural interests ensured that the auction was destined for success even before it began.

Mr Beattie told the Ulster Herald this week that he was very grateful for all those who had supported the auction so far and said there was still time for people to make donations and help support the two charities.

“We have been really amazed by the support which the auction received and the donations have been coming in steadily during the past few days,” he said.

“It has been a massive event for the farming community and the interest in the auction was simply amazing. People can still take part and we will finalise the total amounts within the next week or so.”

Thousands of sales have been held for the benefit of the farming community and Mr Beattie said he had no doubts that they would dig deep to help what he described as two ‘much loved’ local charities especially at a time when the usual fundraising events have been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The auction  attracted interest not only from Omagh but also much further afield.