AN on-line auction (www.auctionhunter.co.uk) is set to raise money for charity thanks to the efforts of a Milton Keynes woman, Nikki Parsler.

Nikki, who has two children suffering from primary immunodeficiencies, is auctioning Five Fortune Panda Ty Beanie Babies for the Primary Immunodeficiency Association (PIA).

The PIA is a UK registered charity providing practical help and support for parents and children suffering from immunodeficiency disorders. It also funds medical research into primary immunodeficiencies which are currently incurable.

The auction is part of a wider appeal to raise £7,500 for the PIA through the sale of 500 Fortune Pandas with a special PIA sash. Each Fortune comes complete with a numbered collector's card.

The auction, which started on April 26, will run for two weeks and is expected to raise at least £75 from the sale of the five pandas.

Anyone wanting to bid for one of the bears and donate money to charity at the same time can do so by visiting the AuctionHunter website at www.auctionhunter.co.uk . Once on the site, bidders will be given simple instructions on how to bid for the pandas.

"To be honest I'd never thought of the Internet as a way of raising money," says Nikki. "But following an appeal I made for donations of Fortune Pandas in the magazine Mary Beth's Beanie World I was contacted by an on-line auction devotee who suggested I auction them on the Auction Universe site."

"Charity auctions provide the perfect opportunity for Beanie lovers to donate money to charity, while at the same time indulging in their favourite passion," says Alison Nicholson of AuctionHunter.

"We always try to help charity auctions and have therefore developed a special charity package, which includes free listings showcasing the items for sale, as well as publicity in our free email magazine, which goes out to thousands of members, on request, every week."

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