Ronan and Eurythmics share awards

Lone Eurythmic: Dave Stewart collected the Silver Clef Award

Boyzone's Ronan Keating, the Eurythmics and Burt Bacharach were among the winners at the 25th anniversary Silver Clef Awards on Friday.

The annual ceremony, held at the Inter-Continental Hotel in London's Park Lane, also raised £143,000 for the music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins.

Items, including the grand piano George Michael used to compose some of his biggest hits, on were auctioned off at the star-studded lunch.

Boyzone's Ronan Keating put nearly everyone else in the shade

Keating, who embarks on his first solo tour in the autumn, said he was delighted to receive the award for top international artist.

He also revealed that plans for the long-awaited Boyzone movie were beginning to take shape.

"We just got a screenplay from an Irish journalist who has been following Boyzone for the last few years," he said.

Prestigious

The Eurythmics won the prestigious Silver Clef Award, following last year's successful comeback with the album Peace.

Singer Annie Lennox was forced to miss the ceremony due to a back injury, but the other half of the duo, Dave Stewart, turned up in a loud red-checked suit.

Earlier this year, the critics panned his movie debut, Honest - featuring All Saints - and he declined to speak upon his arrival.

Burt Bacharach: still looking good after all these years

Instead it was left to Bob Geldof, who presented him with the award, to pay tribute to the duo, describing them as "one of the greatest bands this country's produced" and adding most people could sing or hum a Eurythmics song.

Bacharach, who missed Glastonbury due to a shoulder injury, was awarded the special achievement prize, along with songwriting partner Hal David.

Together, the pair penned such classics as The Carpenters' Close To You and You'll Never Get To Heaven If You Break My Heart - a huge hit for Dionne Warwick.

Warwick, who handed over the award, described them as: "Two men who have been such an important part of my life."

Other celebrities at the event included composer Lord Lloyd-Webber, singers Sacha Distel and Leo Saye.

Star lot

The award for best newcomer bizarrely went to Five, who released their second album last year. Singer Ritchie Neville exclaimed: "Wow! Are we still new? Obviously, any award, we'll take it."

It was fittingly presented to the boy band by Spice Girl Melanie C, who has been romantically linked to band member J.

The auction was conducted at the end of the ceremony, with Michael's piano the star lot, fetching £25,000.

Dionne Warwick made a surprise appearance at the awards

Stewart paid £5,000 for an hour's hypnotherapy session with Paul McKenna, radio DJ Jono Coleman forked out £3,500 for a signed Manchester United football and Liverpool shirt and another bidder parted with £13,000 to have their garden transformed by Charlie Dimmock.

During their 25-year history, the Silver Clef Awards have raised more than £26m for the Nordoff Robbins charity, which provides music therapy for needy and sick children worldwide.

This year's total was helped along by the receipt of a £50,000 cheque from an anonymous donor who has given the same amount each year for the past quarter of a century.