Oisin Murphy delighted to do his bit as riding lesson raises £6,000 for charity

A riding lesson with Oisin Murphy went for £6,000 as part of an auction that raised £405,300 in aid of the NHS Charities Covid-19 Urgent Appeal.

The winning bidder will also get to walk the course with the champion jockey on a raceday, having secured one of the lots at the Bonhams BLUE Auction.

All 61 pledges donated by leading actors, musicians, artists and sportspeople were sold, with a morning on Jonjo O'Neill's gallops at Jackdaws Castle fetching £4,000 and a stay at the nearby Lygon Arms Hotel £2,200.

"I'm absolutely delighted that my auction item raised £6,000 as part of total fundraising of £405,000 for the NHS through the Bonhams auction," Murphy said.

"It's a fantastic cause and I'm looking forward to meeting the winning bidder."

The most expensive lot was the Duke of Richmond's invitation for two to his private track day at Goodwood, which went for £25,000.

A visit to Grayson Perry's studio raised £22,000 while lunch at Claridge's with Dame Joan Collins, her husband and Christopher Biggins was sold for £5,500.

Patrick Masson, Bonhams managing director for the UK and Europe said: "This is a truly fantastic result and we are so pleased to have played our part in supporting the NHS staff and volunteers working so hard for us on the frontline.

"We would like to thank all the generous donors for making this possible, and to congratulate the winners, who now have some exceptional experiences to look forward to."

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