TWENTY-one of Bournemouth's movers and shakers have put themselves on the market for a "great man auction".

Dates with an MP, the town's mayor and businessman Richard Carr are among the lots on offer at the charity event.

The woman who buys Bournemouth East MP David Atkinson will receive lunch at the House of Commons plus a ticket to Question Time in Parliament.

Bournemouth's mayor, Cllr David Baldwin, will be inviting his successful bidder to dinner at the mayor's parlour.

Proceeds will go to the Daily Echo-backed Julia Perks Foundation, which aims to build a children's hospice in Poole, and the Can't Walk Away appeal, a Bournemouth Rotaract Club project helping orphans with HIV in the Bournemouth's Romanian twin town.

Council leader Cllr Bob Chapman has billed himself as "an exciting, debonair man about the council chamber", embroidering the truth by adding: "Has long flowing locks and a Maserati."

Deputy mayor Cllr Douglas Eyre wrote of himself: "Sean Connery, Burt Reynolds and Kevin Costner are just three of the many icons who must feel grateful that Douglas Eyre turned his back on Hollywood to become a chartered accountant." Former mayoress Jilly Grower, who is organising the event with councillor Emily Morrell-Cross, said: "Half of these descriptions are absolute lies. Just what you'd expect from politicians.

"Cllr Ron Whittaker and my husband Ben described themselves as 35-ish with exotic tastes. I think they went to an Indian restaurant once in the 1960s."

The auction will be held on Friday, September 27, in the council's 101 Club, but bids can be submitted in advance by post.

Other men up for auction include: deputy council leader Stephen MacLoughlin, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Richard Smith, and Conservative councillors David Smith, Michael Filer and Tony Ramsden.

They will be joined by head of technical services Roger Ball and senior building supervisor Sandy Wells.

From outside the council, there will be Peter Gregory, chief executive of Future 3000, Chris Lewis and Phil Trevett from 4 Group Finance, who are sponsoring the hire of the 101 Club, and Daily Echo reporter Darren Slade. Prominent volunteers from the NHS are to be confirmed.

Postal bids should be sent to Cllr Emily Morrell-Cross, c/o Town Hall, Bournemouth, BH2 6DY, or Jilly Grower, 16 Bos-combe Cliff Road, Bourne-mouth, BH5 1JL.