SIGNED memorabilia from a rock star, a free weekend in a holiday cottage and cooking lessons with a celebrity chef are up for grabs in an auction put together by a local rotary club.

The Rotary Club of Lyme Regis will host a silent auction beginning on Friday, March 12 and continuing until the end of the month.

The auction boasts more than 100 lots, including a weekend in a Lyme Regis holiday cottage, a live 'cook along' class with chef Mark Hix, half a day fishing trips off Lyme Regis Harbour and a collection of Deep Purple memorabilia donated by the band's lead singer, Ian Gillan.

Mr Gillan, who lives locally, has offered to personally sign the auction items on request.

The event will be hosted online and will raise funds for Lyme Regis Food Bank, Julia's House, Weldmar Hospicecare and the Alzheimer's Society.

All four of these charities, along with the rotary club itself, have struggled to raise funds in the past year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Bidding will begin at noon on March 12 and will close at 9pm on Sunday, March 28. To place a bid, click on the item and press 'bid now' and follow the instructions.

The rotary club has been unable to host its usual major fundraising events throughout the past year as a result of the pandemic. This has left the group short on funds normally distributed to deserving charities. To help boost its fundraising efforts, the rotary club decided to host the online silent auction.

A spokesman for the Lyme Regis Rotary Club said: "In a normal year, we would stage several major events to raise money for local and national charities. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, none of our major fundraising events in 2020 took place leaving us with a shortfall of many thousands of pounds in funds raised.

"After becoming aware of the problems experienced by very worthwhile causes this year, the Rotary Club of Lyme Regis decided to organise an online auction as a fundraising event."

At the end of the auction, the winning bidders will be contacted by email, once payment is received, and will be provided with an address in Lyme Regis from which their lot may be collected.

Alternatively, the rotary club is able to arrange free delivery up to 10 miles.

To browse the items or to take part in the auction, visit www.jumblebee.co.uk/lymeregisrotaryclubsilentauction