Charity auctioneer from Weymouth helps raise £1million

The Weymouth resident broke the barrier by raising £14,398 for the Children’s Respite Trust after more than 50 years of charity auctioneering.

His journey started in 1969 raising £30 for Lindfield Cricket Club.

In the 53 years since, the charitable causes have been varied and included established national charities such as the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research as well as village schools, children’s charities and a host of one-off events.

Speaking after hitting the £1million mark, Mr Selves said: “It has been a great privilege to have helped many charities, communities and others' causes and it is flattering to receive the thanks along the way. 

“I firmly believe that the people who deserve the real credit are not me, not those who sell the tickets, not those who get the prizes, but those who ensure that there are people in the room willing and able to support the cause in question.”

Gavin Fisher, CEO of Children’s Respite Trust, said: “This was the 10th year of holding the Children’s Respite Trust Ball and I don’t believe we have ever had an auction go so well - £14,398 is a phenomenal total and it will make a huge difference to our ability to provide care for disabled children and support for their families. 

“David worked the whole room and was so engaging. It can be a tough crowd at these things, but David had everyone focused on raising as much as they possibly could for the cause.”

Among the memorable moments for the auctioneer include almost getting Tottenham-legend Ledley King into an Arsenal shirt and gently coaxing a dispirited Pakistan national cricket team into signing a ball after a particularly poor tour of England.

Mr Selves said he’s set his sights on reaching his second million and quipped: “It’s taken me over 50 years to get here, but as I work a little less and the average take has risen considerably, maybe before I sign off, unable to leap around thumping the gavel down, I just might make it.”