Antiques expert Tim Wonnacott is star turn at Packwood Haugh's Auction of Promises

A year of special events to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Shropshire prep school, Packwood Haugh, continued last Saturday evening with an Auction of Promises. Guest auctioneer, Tim Wonnacott, former Packwood parent, antiques expert and TV celebrity, deployed all of his professional expertise to great effect in drawing out bids from the extremely generous audience.

Parents, staff and friends of the school had offered a huge variety of lots ranging from the rare and exclusive – lunch at the House of Commons, a box at the Royal Albert Hall, a stone masonry experience – to the more prosaic, but no less eagerly bid for, including maths coaching and an evening’s babysitting (by the Headmaster…). There were tickets for rugby internationals, shooting days, fishing days and a week in a villa in Ibiza among others – more than 50 lots altogether.

Packwood Headmaster, Clive Smith-Langridge, commented, “The evening was a great success, during which plenty of banter and 'gentle persuasion’ amongst friends helped to push the bidding along. In the end the total amount of money raised was more than £22,000, a magnificent sum that will provide a tremendous boost to the 125 Appeal for the redevelopment of Science facilities at Packwood.”