THE final preparations are being put in place for this year's Charity Ball, which takes place at the Marriott Hotel in Pipers Way on Saturday.

Organisers are hoping the glittering array of auction prizes will generate thousands of pounds for the Threshold Housing Link and Prospect Hospice the two Swindon charities benefiting from the event.

Tickets for the ball, which has raised more than £300,000 for good causes over the past 12 years, sold out months ago and on Saturday night around 200 people will attend the gala dinner.

An England football shirt signed by Sven Goran Eriksson's World Cup hopefuls is one of the top auction items.

Membership for Wolf Sanctuary at Bishops Castle in Shropshire, sponsored by Running Wolf Graphics, including a stay at the Renaissance Marriott, Johnny Wilkinson's rugby shorts, a five-day holiday in Malta and a day at Royal Ascot, are among the other lots.

The evening's auctioneer will be former Wootton Bassett Rotarian Paul Holloway.

Prospect Hospice, which cares for terminally ill sufferers of Aids, cancer and motor neurone disease, is able to provide patients and families with a more intensive level of care than is possible on an NHS ward.

It needs £40,000 to buy overhead bed hoists and two state-of-the-art electric beds.

General manager David Line said: "We hope the ball can raise £20,000 for us it would be a tremendous result for the event, which has a wonderful track record."

THL, which celebrates its 30th birthday this year, operates a 20-bed emergency hostel and five resettlement hostels across the town and wants to refurbish and update its facilities and continue helping those without a permanent home.

Spokeswoman Cher Sawyer said: "Our income only keeps us afloat and covers our running costs to be able to renovate and provide new furniture we have to fundraise."

Last year the ball raised an impressive £37,000 for Thamesdown Hydrotherapy Pool and Twigs, the local project that uses the therapeutic effects of gardening to help mentally ill people.