DONATIONS are continuing to pour in for an auction to benefit the children of St Nicholas Special Needs School in Chippenham including a giant fluffy pink pig.

St Nicholas is planning the event as part of the fundraising for a new £50,000 wheelchair-friendly play area at the school.

The booty of gifts already donated includes a signed Parker pen from the Prime Minister Tony Blair and an autographed CD from chart star Gareth Gates.

In recent weeks the fund has been further boosted by boxes of chocolates from Nestle, signed photos of pop stars Will Young and Westlife, and now a giant, stuffed pink pig has been handed in by a mystery donor.

Susan Jones, chairman of the school's parents, teachers and friends Association said: "A man walked into the school this week and handed the pig to a member of staff, saying he wanted to donate it to the auction. He didn't give his name or any details, but we'd like to say a big thank-you to him, whoever he was.

"It's a lovely pig and has gone down extremely well with the children.

"In fact, people are being very generous and we're sure that all the gifts which have been donated, are going to make our auction a huge success."

The auction will be held as part of the school's summer fair on June 7 and other gifts donated so far include a DC07 vacuum cleaner from Dyson in Malmesbury, and days out at Center Parcs and Longleat.

Sainsbury's in Bath Road, Chippenham, have also named the school as beneficiary of their Penny Back scheme, for the whole of the month of June.

But more donations are still needed to raise the initial £20,000 needed to get the special playground underway.

"The auction will be an important step in a whole host of events planned to raise money for our new playground," said Mrs Jones.

She said the new playground will be on land to the side of the school and will have a huge variety of play equipment for young children, including an adventure trail, conservation area and a trike track.

St Nicholas is also celebrating winning £1,000 in a national competition run by the Parent Teacher Association for their fundraising and hard work in building a sensory garden at the school. The prize money will go towards the playground. Individuals or companies wishing to donate to the auction should contact Susan Jones on (01249) 712237.