Candlelighters ball auction bids raise an impressive £33,000

Auctioneer Richard Smailes marked eight years as the man with the gavel at the Harrogate Candlelighters Winter Wonderland ball and brought the hammer down on £33,000 of bids.
Auctioneer Richard Smailes in action at the Candlelighters ball.Auctioneer Richard Smailes in action at the Candlelighters ball.
Auctioneer Richard Smailes in action at the Candlelighters ball.

His grand total for the charity as their official ball auctioneer now stands at over £143,000.

Richard and his father Charles, both professional property auctioneers at FSS estate agents in Harrogate, have offered their services at charity auctions for many years and between them have raised thousands of pounds for good causes.

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Richard said: “I have always loved the excitement of the auction room and I feel fortunate to be able to offer my experience at charity balls and events to boost the fundraising and add plenty of fun to the proceedings.

“Over the past eight years I have developed an excellent relationship with the Harrogate Candlelighters and I am delighted that all the hard work and enthusiasm of the organisers has made these annual events such a huge success.”

Sue Patterson, chair of Harrogate Candlelighters Committee, said: “Richard is hugely entertaining and the auction is always one of the highlights of the night.

“His involvement makes a huge difference to the amount of money we raise each year and we would like to thank him for all his support over the past eight years and hope he will be joining us for many more Candlelighters events in the future.”