A FUNDRAISING auction and quiz boosted the coffers of Croft Playgroup by more than £1,500.

The event, at Swindon's Marriott Hotel, included more than 60 lots, including services donated by parents, donations from a variety of local businesses, and 15 celebrity autographs.

Top earner was a signed photograph of Gareth Gates, which fetched £67, while at the other end of the scale, a signed photograph of Prime Minister's wife Cherie Blair struggled to scrape £4.50.

Other celebrity autographs included Jonathan Ross (£11), Jamie Oliver (£7), 1966 World Cup footballer Alan Ball (£20) and Terry Wogan (£12).

A signed photograph of Manchester United defender Wes Brown, plus a pair of Manchester United kit socks worn by a member of the squad, raised £45.

The final auction item was a football signed by the teams appearing on this Wednesday night's BBC1 sports quiz They Think It's All Over. It was autographed by Nick Hancock, Gary Lineker, Jonathan Ross, Rory McGrath, Roger Black and Sharron Davis and raised £80.

Playgroup chairwoman Vivienne Wise said: "The most heart-warming surprise was when I received Jonathan Ross's autograph through the post and found that he'd included a donation of £50, even though I'd only asked for his autograph.

"We got hold of some fantastic auction items and we're extremely grateful to everyone who donated things and for all the generous people who were bidding on the night."

Money raised from the auction will be spent on new books, toys and equipment for the 50 children who visit the playgroup every week.

Croft is one of only a handful of playgroups in Swindon that does not receive funding.

It relies solely on fees and fund-raising to cover all its costs.