The Independent's charity auction

Fancy going behind the scenes at Private Eye or Coronation Street? How about VIP treatment at Lords, seeing how Westminster ticks or going backstage with Joanna Lumley? Bid now for these and other brilliant, exclusive lots

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Lot 1: The Full Hix
Ever wondered what’s behind the scenes at a top London restaurant? Join the award-winning restaurateur (and Independent writer) Mark Hix at his Soho eaterie, spend a morning in the kitchen, then enjoy the fruits of your labours at lunch with him. WINNING BID: £1,365
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Lot 2: Lunch on the House
It’s the ultimate political guide. Which coalition partners hate each other? Are we being told the truth about the national debt? And what is it with Theresa May and shoes? Our political editor Andrew Grice will take you to lunch at Westminster and fill you in on our rulers. WINNING BID: £717
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Lot 3: Foreign Field
Our Paris correspondent, John Lichfield, will take you on a day tour of the Somme battlefields where 623,000 British and French soldiers were killed or wounded, 95 years ago – a fascinating, sobering history lesson. Lunch is included, but not travel to France or accommodation. WINNING BID: £2,750
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Lot 4: Absolutely Fab Night Out (darling)
Win a pair of tickets to Trevor Nunn’s West End production of The Lion in Winter, starring Robert Lindsay as Henry II and Joanna Lumley as Eleanor of Aquitaine (“Lindsay and Lumley really strike sparks off each other” said The Daily Telegraph). You can meet Ms Lumley, the Ab Fab star, Gurkha pin-up, supporter of the Children’s Society and national treasure, backstage after the evening performance on 17 January. WINNING BID: £940
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Lot 5: I’ll Have What She’s Having
Do you yearn to sample five-star food? Let Tracey MacLeod, our award-winning restaurant critic, take you for dinner at a new eating-house. Bring a hearty appetite and strong opinions. Don’t skimp on pudding. Tracey will write about it for the Indy magazine. WINNING BID: £670
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Lot 6: On the Runway
Does the thought of a Peter Pilotto dress make you swoon? Would you like to rub shoulders with the fashionistas? Bid for a seat at a London Fashion Week show, with Susannah Frankel, The Independent’s Fashion Editor, who’ll fill you in on the gossip. WINNING BID: £1,025
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Lot 7: Tea, Cake and Comedy
Meet Sharon Horgan, among the UK’s leading comedy actor-writers. She created the award-winning TV series Pulling, and guest-hosted Have I Got News For You. On behalf of The Children’s Society, Sharon will entertain you for tea at a top London hotel. WINNING BID: £770
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Lot 8: A Day on the Cobbles
A once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit the set of Coronation Street, the setting for so much drama, romance and heartbreak for half a century. You and three friends can have a guided tour behind the scenes of this classic TV show, inspecting the Weatherfield landmarks and the bar of the Rover’s Return. We can’t promise you’l l sit down for a pint with the stars, but you might find yourself having a chat with Gail McIntyre herself, Helen Worth, a supporter of Save the Children. WINNING BID: £1,020
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Lot 9: Lunch with the Editor
Join The Independent’s editor, Chris Blackhurst, for lunch at Scott’s, the legendary fish restaurant and oyster bar in Mayfair. Over caviar and Dover sole, take the opportunity to discuss anything – phone-hacking, Ed Miliband, golf... WINNING BID: £2,055
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Lot 10: Money-Go-Round
Is it time to trust the Stock Market again? How do you balance your debts and savings? Should you sell your house? Get the expert view (not advice) from Ray Black, MD of Money Minder Financial Services, and the crack team on the Your Money section. WINNING BID: £550
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Lot 11: Blonde Ambition?
Legally Blonde won the 2010 Laurence Olivier Award for best new musical. You can have two tickets to watch the show at the Savoy Theatre, and then meet its star, Carley Stenson, for a drink and a chat. Carley is a supporter of The Children’s Society. WINNING BID: £511
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Lot 12: Hoofing It
Diversity, the amazing, 11-strong British street-dance troupe, won Britain’s Got Talent in 2009. Care for a private lesson with them? To support Save the Children, they offer the top bidder and three friends a two-hour workshop at their studio in Essex. And they’re offering four tickets for their show at the O2 Arena in April. WINNING BID: £850
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Lot 13: Catwalk Queen
Karl Lagerfeld called her “one of the best models in the world”. The supermodel Erin O’Connor is ubiquitous on the fashion scene, from the cover of Vogue to the M&S TV ads. For Save the Children, Erin invites you to be her guest at a London Fashion Week show. WINNING BID: £1,440
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Lot 14: A Private Tea With Private Eye
Private Eye, the satirical scourge of media hypocrisy and political chicanery, is celebrating its 50th birthday. Join the party with a visit to the mighty organ’s HQ in Soho. Meet Lord Gnome in person (aka Ian Hislop, editor and Have I Got News For You captain) for a guided tour followed by tea and unfettered conversation in the editor’s office. WINNING BID: £3,119.11
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Lot 15: Lawdy, Miss Claudia
You wept and sighed at Les Enfants du Paradis and cancelled all distractions to watch Film 2011 with its passionate presenter Claudia Winkleman. What could be better than attending a private screening with her, and discussing the camera angles afterwards over tea or cocktails? Nothing, that’s what. WINNING BID: £910
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Lot 16: A Day at the Paper
Visit The Independent at our Kensington offices. Marvel at the hum of industry, the thrill of breaking news, the whoosh of deadlines racing nearer. Come to the morning conference, chat to the columnists, the subs and the leader-writers. And eyeball the first edition before it hits the presses. WINNING BID: £1,650
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Lot 17: Tell Me Everything
Would you like to meet a giant of the arts, literary or culinary world? This year, John Walsh interviewed, among others, Donovan, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Ludivine Sagnier, and chefs Simon Hopkinson and Thomas Keller. Like to join him? You’ll meet the star, ask questions, and enjoy dinner at the Groucho Club. WINNING BID: £910
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Lot 18: Bowled Over
Spend a day at Lord’s with England-star-turned-writer Angus Fraser. You’ll have four tickets to a Twenty/20 match featuring Middlesex next summer, plus passes for the MCC pavilion. Angus will give you a guided tour of the ground, including the hallowed dressing rooms and the media centre. WINNING BID: £1,550
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Lot 19: The Axe Man Cometh
You’re old enough to know better but you love a rock concert. The adrenalin, the floor-shaking bass, the communal adoration. You’d love to be part of it. We can help. Attend a kill-for-tickets gig next year, courtesy of us. Go backstage, then write a review for publication. WINNING BID: £1,561
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Lot 20: Bite The Big Apple
Make it there and you can make it anywhere. But what would really make a trip to New York would be having David Usborne, the Indy’s US editor, show you and a friend the sights, then escort you to the cool Andaz hotel in Manhattan for one night’s complimentary stay. Flights are not included. WINNING BID: £750
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Lot 21: On The Ball
Neil Warnock, manager of Queen’s Park Rangers and an Independent columnist, invites a football fan and one guest to come and watch QPR’s first team at a training session. Afterwards, you'll have lunch and a chat with Neil and his staff at the training ground. WINNING BID: £4,075
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Lot 22: The Spice Invader
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, the Independent columnist and fiery debater, is an accomplished chef. She offers to cook some delicious spicy dishes for up to six people, in London – and to teach the rudiments of cooking to undomesticated men, or to women. WINNING BID: £750
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Lot 23: Here Is The News
Meet ITN’s award-winning ITV Evening News team, courtesy of the Children’s Society. Visit their London HQ, tour the newsroom, meet Alastair Stewart, Mary Nightingale and the team, then watch the live transmission with the programme director. WINNING BID: £945
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Lot 24: Green fingers
Is your poinsettia looking peaky? Our celebrated gardening writer Anna Pavord, author of The Tulip and Bulb, will visit you anywhere in mainland Britain, advise you how to transform your weed-ravaged backyard into a paradise, then write about it in her column. (Last year: £3,500) WINNING BID: £1,380
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Lot 25: Lunch with the i's editor
Join i’s executive editor, Stefano Hatfield, for lunch at The Ivy, the legendary power-brokers’ restaurant in London’s West End. Over risotto or calf’s liver, take the opportunity to discuss anything from politics to football to whether Italian food is the best... WINNING BID: £585

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THE AUCTION IS NOW CLOSED

HOW TO ENTER A BID

Place your bids by noon on 22 December 2011. Payment by PayPal only, by 10 January 2012. Each lot carries a minimum reserve price of £100, is for one adult and does not include travel unless otherwise specified and is subject to conditions (click here for full terms and conditions). The Editor’s decision is final and bidders must be aware that they cannot give a winning bid to any other person without getting the Editor’s consent before bidding. For all enquiries, email auction@independent.co.uk

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