Paul McCartney has pledged his support to Alder Hey Children’s Charity’s latest fundraising campaign with a once-in-a-lifetime auction prize in time for the festive season.
The Beatles legend has signed a bespoke, handmade rocking horse, which will be exclusively showcased at The Ultimate Christmas Fair over the course of four days when it comes to Exhibition Centre Liverpool later this month and auctioned via eBay from 19 November until 29 November. Built by acclaimed master craftsmen, the Stevenson Brothers, the piece has been modelled on Paul’s own horse, Moonstar, and features a plait of hair from the steed himself.
In addition to providing his autograph – said to be the third ‘most valuable’ in the world – Paul has written the famous lyric, “Rockin’ horse people eat marshmallow pies”, from Beatles hit, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Proceeds from the sale of the rocking horse will help fund life-saving medical equipment and vital research at Alder Hey’s new site, located on West Derby’s Springfield Park.
On top of this, Paul has also placed an additional surprise inside a “secret locking chamber” that’s been built into the underside of rocking horse.
Stevenson Brothers have also designed rocking horses for Her Majesty the Queen and are experts in their field with over 30 years of experience. Their horses have been auctioned across the globe, raising over £1 million for various charities, with the highest bid so far sitting at £35,000.
The Ultimate Christmas Fair selected Alder Hey as its chosen charity in a bid to support its current fundraising project for its new hospital. In addition to the rocking horse, all money raised from children’s tickets to the event, will be donated to the Liverpool-based charity.
This unique piece of craftsmanship will be exclusively showcased at the Ultimate Christmas Fair and is the only place you can see this incredible rocking horse.
Taking place from 26 to 29 November, the Ultimate Christmas Fair will showcase 1000s of gift ideas from fashion, beauty and jewellery to hampers, toys and gadgets. With over 200 specialist Christmas exhibitors, 40 catwalk fashion shows, inspirational ideas from Celebrity Chef, Alan Murchison and dozens of cookery, wrapping and decorating demonstrations the Fair provides everything visitors need to create their perfect Christmas.
Louise Barrett at Alder Hey said: “Our new healthcare campus Alder Hey in the Park is a world-class facility that will cement our place among the top children’s health centres in the world.
“This time of year is for love and laughter, but for many families across the North West, it is a reminder of the struggles they’ve faced or the heart-breaking news they’ve had to deal with. Our mission is to provide our patients with the best possible care, while supporting their loved ones every step of the way.
“We’re incredibly honoured and humbled that Paul McCartney has pledged his support and we’re thrilled that The Ultimate Christmas Fair has given us the springboard for such an exciting auction.
“We’d urge Christmas shoppers to support Alder Hey Children’s Charity by getting involved with this very special auction and come down to see it for themselves at the show”
The Ultimate Christmas Fair is expected to generate around £3 million for the regional economy with Vidal Sassoon and MelVic Makeup Academy and live entertainment from The Rockabellas, Hark the Herald and BBC Songs of Praise Gospel Choir of the Year finalists, Get Gospel.
Sharon Burrell, event director, said: “We’re excited to be staging the very first Ultimate Christmas Fair in Liverpool, so teaming up with a charity like Alder Hey seemed natural to us. To have Paul on board is a huge honour and we’ve been blown away by the Stevenson Brothers’ offer of creating such an exquisite piece that you can see at our event.
“When it comes to autographs, Paul’s is the crème de la crème, so we have no doubt that he’ll help bring in some much-needed funds for this amazing charity, contributing towards its future medical research.” Visitors can also enjoy headline fashion shows from Celebrity Designer, Mark Melia, hair and makeup demonstrations to get that perfect party look
Find out more about the Paul McCartney rocking horse auction
To find out more about the rocking horse and how to bid, visit The Ultimate Christmas Fair's website. You can also see Paul McCartney signing the horse on Vimeo.
Tickets to The Ultimate Christmas Fair start at £14.95 and include access to all workshops and live demonstrations, as well as a series of fashion shows. VIP packages, which are priced at £75, are also available. They include a complimentary glass of fizz on arrival, complimentary spa treatments from Formby Hall, a three-course lunch in the No. 10 South Dock Bistro Restaurant and a goody bag.
The fair launches at 10am on Thursday 26 November. All tickets are available from www.theultimatechristmasfair.co.uk or by calling the box office hotline on 0844 8000 509.
Keep up-to-date with the auction using the hashtag #AlderHeyRocks, via @StevensonBros @TUCFLiverpool and @AlderHeyCharity.