Ideal way to say thank you

Graeme and Rosalyn Neale of Dorchester Avenue, North Harrow, wanted to thank Vaughan School for its support after their son Michael suffered two years of near-blindness. So they began writing letters to celebrities, and gathered more than 140 signed items which will be auctioned at their school fete.

Michael, 10, developed Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, a condition of the optic nerve which left him almost blind in both eyes, in 2001. He began learning Braille at school, and doctors said it was unlikely that he would ever regain normal sight. But against the odds, Michael's vision gradually improved.

Rosalyn said: "His condition came on without warning, it was caused by a faulty gene and something triggered that gene. It took six months to diagnose, and they said he had only a four per cent chance of recovery. We just accepted that, unfortunately, that was what his life would be like. But after about a year he suddenly found he could see things he couldn't see before."

Michael's sight is now nearly back to normal. Rosalyn said that Vaughan school, and their headteacher Mrs Carnan, had been wonderfully supportive, as had the borough's visually impaired education team. So they have organised the celebrity auction for school funds, and are hoping the idea will prove popular.

Among those who donated signed goods were Kylie, Sting, Elton John, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, John Travolta, Victoria Beckham, Stephen Fry, Chris Tarrant, Kate Winslet, Gary Lineker, Pavarotti, Dido and Gordon Ramsay of Hell's Kitchen.

There are also a large collection of goodies from the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter films, including a prop used in the movie Chamber of Secrets, and special Magic the Gathering collecting cards and prints signed by the artists.

The auction takes place at Vaughan school fete on June 26, at the school in The Gardens, West Harrow, from 11am to 3pm.