A COAT worn by actor Emma Thompson is one of the highlights of an antique dealer’s online sale in support of the NHS.
Phil Mires is aiming to raise at least £1,000 – inspired by his mum, a health care assistant working with coronavirus patients at St Peter’s Hospital.
The 25-year-old Chertsey-based dealer has selected 75 lots from his own special stock to sell via his website. Items on offer include contemporary art, decorative ceramics, collector’s toys and memorabilia.
“Mum works at St Peter’s and is being redeployed to help out with the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “She is incredibly anxious and restless about what is going on and it’s not just the challenges at the hospital itself she has to contend with.
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“She is also a carer for my nan, a widow in her late 80s who suffers from dementia and has other underlying health issues. She is at the stage where she can no longer carry out basic tasks for herself. It is all very upsetting.”
He said that although he and his mum are part of a large family, including another key worker, they could do little to help with his grandmother’s care because of the lockdown.
“But at least I can run an online charity auction to raise money for the NHS,” added Phil, who built up PM Antiques & Collectables into a £350,000 online business in just five years after quitting a minimum wage, zero hours contract job.
The bespoke dark grey woollen coat for sale was worn by Dame Emma when she accompanied her mother, actor Phyllida Law, to Buckingham Palace to be made an OBE by the Queen.
The other lots include Lapping Waves III, a coastal landscape oil painting by Enrique Martinez; a Hohner L’Organola piano accordion with fitted case; Ever Hopeful, a limited-edition cold cast porcelain sculpture by April Shepherd; and a limited edition print of Mountain in the Clouds by Jimi Hendrix.
The auction is open now and ends on Sunday 3 May, at www.pm-antiques.co.uk.