HOLIDAY guests at Lower Shaw Farm’s raised £400 for charity Swindon Advocacy Movement in an hour of frenzied bidding.

The farm in Shaw which runs holidays and courses in yoga and circus skills held an auction of promises in aid of the mental health charity and one lucky holidaymaker bagged themselves a villa stay in Italy for only £50.

Fifty-five people took part in the auction, they weren’t just bidding on items but also offering their own promises for others to bid on.

Among the promises on offer were such items as ukulele lessons, cream tea for six people, a lesson in ballroom dancing, a painting by an artist, Matt’s special chips and a villa stay for a weekend in Ravenna, were a few of the options on offer.

Matt Holland is a co-director of the summer activities week which has been running now for 20 years, with people from all over the UK and the world flying in to visit Swindon.

He said: “We love hosting this event but to also help others that need it the most is a wonderful thing. “The generosity from our guests to help Swindon Advocacy Movement was fantastic and a beautiful thing to be a part of.

He added: “I think what keeps many coming back is that we have all the ingredients on offer here.

“There is always a range of activities on offer and when you mix this with the creative environment of the farm setting, it really is something magical.”

Daniela Giangreco is from Milan in Italy, she has been coming to the farm for the past five years with her husband and two children, and it was her family which offered their villa for a weekend stay at the auction.

She said: “We love coming here, it has a brilliant community feel and is a loving safe environment.It’s also great for the kid’s language and the atmosphere is second to none. Its Swindon’s best kept secret.”

Margaret Bone,78, from Hertfordshire, first visited the location with her son in 1988 and now brings her grandchildren. She said: “This place is different to anywhere else I’ve been, it has its own aura.You can feel the energy and it's simply brilliant.”