Tsunami auction raises thousands

Daisy Bell with Damien Hirst's shark sketch

An auction of celebrity postcard art has raised £49,000 for the tsunami-struck villages of Asia.

A sketch of two figures with skull and crossbone heads by artist brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman was sold for £4,800.

Sir Paul McCartney's sketch was sold for £1,500, Damien Hirst's shark went for £4,500 and sculptor Antony Gormley's picture reached £3,400.

The Edinburgh event was the brainchild of student Daisy Bell, whose uncle Robin Needham died in the disaster.

Hundreds of potential buyers turned up at Edinburgh's Ocean Terminal to see more than 250 lots, including those by Charlotte Church, Elizabeth Hurley and Ralph Fiennes.

The response has been extraordinary Daisy Bell Event organiser

Doodles and a few lines of text produced by Tracy Emin raised £1,000.

Ms Bell appealed to the stars following the death of her 51-year-old uncle in the Boxing Day tsunami.

The father-of-four helped thousands of the world's poorest people in his 25 years as an aid worker with Care International.

Inspired by the loss, Daisy sent off blank postcards to the country's best known artists, musicians and celebrities and was astounded when replies came flooding back.

Internet sale

The Edinburgh University student said before the event: "The response has been extraordinary and I am incredibly grateful to everyone that took the time to return the postcards whether with an intricate painting or drawing or just a signature. It will all help raise funds."

About 60 works went under the hammer, with another 200 pieces being sold on the internet, with bids accepted until Monday afternoon.

Sir Paul McCartney drew a man with a bow tie

Sir Paul McCartney's postcard features a cartoon sketch of a man with a bow tie.

Damien Hirst's creation features a drawing of a shark in a tank and Charlotte Church opted for a sketch of a chicken.

Daisy said of her inspiration for the fundraiser: "My uncle's death naturally caused my family immense grief but it was his loss to the international aid and development world that has inspired me to take on this project.

"Robin worked for Care International for 25 years, helping a great number of third world countries and was director of Care-Nepal when he was killed.

"It is ironic that he was taken from us in the world's biggest natural disaster when he would have been in his element helping."