Wiltshire Auction House Launches Offline Charity Auctions

A series of ‘old-fashioned’ live auctions are to be launched in September by the team at RWB Auctions, to support charities and those living locally who want to downsize their belongings.

Members of the public can expect to pick up antiques, collectables, jewellery, homewares and more, starting from a fiver. However they will need to be physically in the room to bid in the fortnightly sales which are to be held on Wednesday mornings starting between 9am and 10am on September 11 in the Royal Wootton Bassett salerooms.

Sellers can also choose to donate their earnings to five charitable partners with the total raised divided and donated between those partners once a quarter.

Steve Bucknell, RWB Auctions General Manager, is championing the new offline sales after speaking with customers who want to free up space in their homes.

“We often meet people who want to sell their items fast and it’s a choice between consigning them to auction or dropping them at a charity shop.

“That’s where our new offline auctions come in. There is minimal waiting time, unlike with our specialist online sales which can take months to prepare, and you can expect to have cash in your pocket or donated to a local charity within two weeks. There’s no waiting around or trips to the Post Office, unlike with sites such as eBay.

“We’re keeping the process fast and exciting by only allowing bidding in the room, just like an old-fashioned auction, and doing away with reserves. We expect most items to sell for £50 or less but the bidding could go higher than that. Buyers will be able to take their new treasures home the same day.”

The team at the auction house based in the High Street in Royal Wootton Bassett are supporting the following five charities over the next year:

• The Richard Jones Foundation – which provides grants to young people aged between seven and 25 living within the parish boundaries of Royal Wootton Bassett. It was established over 300 years ago.
• Julia’s House – a children’s hospice which cares for and supports children with life-limiting, life-threatening or terminal conditions in Wiltshire and Dorset.
• The Prospect Hospice – offering end of life care services for a community of more than 330,000 people in Swindon, Marlborough and north east Wiltshire.
• SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity – trusted support for serving personnel, veterans and their families in a time of need.
• Stripey Stork - a baby bank collecting donations of clothes, toys, and essential items for babies and children and rehoming them with local families experiencing hardship.

Founder Jon White said: “We have great relationships with local traders and bargain hunters so we’re confident we can get people great prices for their unwanted items while also fund-raising for charitable causes. We know that the energy in an auction room can be electric and buyers will have to get stuck in if they want to bag a bargain!”

The RWB Auctions team are now taking consignments for their first offline charitable auction. Sale dates and more information can be found on their website at www.rwbauctions.com/offline