IT WAS a case of giving a little bit of heart and sole. Celebrities yesterday donated some of their footwear to help the launch a Scottish charity.
The actor Daniel Radcliffe donated a pair of his Harry Potter school shoes, Sir Elton John gave a pair of stage shoes, Andy Murray a pair of trainers and Stephen Fry a pair of "monster slippers" to support the OneStepBeyond 2008 Celebrity Shoe Auctio
n.
The charity launched its latest fundraising campaign at City Quay in Dundee, with help from stars such as Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, Robin Williams and Lorraine Kelly.
Last year, Sir Elton joined the OneStepBeyond campaign to break the world record for the longest line of shoes, by donating a pair of red suede platforms.
More than 20,000 pairs of shoes were donated last year and distributed to charities in Asia and Africa.
Yesterday, the stars' shoes were put on eBay, along with letters of authentication. The auctions began at noon and bids will be accepted until noon tomorrow.
Money raised from the sales will be divided equally between four charities: Cancer Research; Cash for Kids, which raises money for local children's groups and organisations; No More Landmines; and Angus College Charitable Trust, which helps students in dire need of financial assistance, and who are at risk of not being able to complete their studies.
The items up for auction also include comedian Jo Brand's deck shoes; football boots belonging to the players Christian Dailly, Steven Pressley and Barry Ferguson; film star Robin Williams' trainers; actress Tamzin Outhwaite's black strappy sandals; comedian Graham Norton's Versace shoes; TV presenter Lorraine Kelly's tartan courts; newsreader Kirsty Wark's boots; actress Zoe Wanamaker's boots; and TV presenter Carol Smillie's Kurt Geiger mules.
EBay has become a popular arena in which to hold celebrity-related clothing sales.
New York footwear designer Stuart Weitzman recently held his eighth celebrity shoe auction to mark Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, asking stars to decorate a pair of white stilettos in a manner of their own choosing.
Heather Mills McCartney also launched her own eBay-based shoe-auction charity two years ago, which among its items offered trainers from pop star Damon Albarn, ballet dancer Darcey Bussell's pointe shoes and Wayne Rooney's football boots.
The full article contains 381 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
