Rare Harry Potter book raises �2,050 at Overstrand auction

A Cromer grandmother helped raise thousands of pounds for charity this weekend when she bought her little grandson a rare Harry Potter book.

The bidder, who wants to remain anonymous, paid �2,050 for the book at the White Horse pub's charity auction in Overstrand on Saturday night in aid of Cancer Research UK.

Bruce Stratton, a spokesman for the pub, said the woman, who lives locally in north Norfolk, planned to give it to her first grandson as a gift and an investment.

He added: 'She said she'd hardly slept all night she's so delighted. What's made her really pleased is that all the money goes to a charity. She's absolutely over the moon.'

The book, a first edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was signed by author JK Rowling and is worth about �4,000.

The grandmother also successfully bid �210 for an England football shirt - which was signed last Tuesday by the squad that faced Brazil this weekend - and plans to give it to her son.

Mr Stratton said the whole event, which raised a total of �4,488.51 with comedian Keith Loads as auctioneer, was a huge success. The 50 lots ranged from a Barry Pinches snooker cue, signed by top players including Jimmy White, to boxes of crisps.

The spokesman said: 'Everybody enjoyed the evening, and everybody went away with a bargain but having given a lot of money to charity.'

The success of the pub's fundraising efforts have astounded landlord Darren Walsgrove who had originally hoped to raise �1,500 for the cancer charity over the course of a year.

Mr Stratton said: 'It's beyond anyone's dreams for a small village pub to raise that much. Even in these times, when people are maybe more hard up than they used to be, they are prepared to come to a village pub and put their hands in their pockets.'