Stars raise thousands for Haiti (From Swindon Advertiser)

Stars raise thousands for Haiti

4:07pm Monday 8th February 2010 in

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A sale of music goodies donated by the likes of Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys raised a final total of more than £120,000 to help rebuild Haiti, organisers said.

The eBay auction, masterminded by Glastonbury Festival organiser Emily Eavis for Oxfam, saw Coldplay frontman Chris Martin's Viva La Vida tour jacket raise £9,600.

Arctic Monkey Alex Turner's Fender Stratocaster fetched £4,600, while the chance to own a personal song written and performed by Blur and Gorillaz singer Damon Albarn received a final pledge of £5,650.

The auction was originally intended to last 10 days, but it was extended to around a fortnight as celebrities continued to donate their belongings.

Miss Eavis said: "I'd like to thank everyone involved. Everyone's been so generous. It's fantastic to see how much people care. When we first had the idea of an auction for Haiti, I never imagined we would raise so much.

"This should really help to rebuild some of what was lost."

All the cash will go directly to Oxfam's rebuilding programme in Haiti, helping survivors of the catastrophic earthquake.