What’s in your attic? It could be worth £1,000s

A CAMPAIGN to build a new base for Wiltshire Air Ambulance and a fund to reconstruct a village hall, which burnt down last year, are to benefit from two antiques valuation days in the Cotswolds later this month.

And auctioneers Philip Allwood and Piers Critchlow will be hoping to strike antiques gold – as they did last year, when a Cotswolds resident brought for valuation a set of decorative tiles he had found in his loft.

The eight 15cm x 15cm red and cream pottery tiles – decorated with animals – were identified as being by the Victorian ceramicist William De Morgan, whose work was popular with William Morris and the Arts & Crafts movement, and whose international clients included the Czar of Russia.

The owner asked for them to be included in a Moore Allen & Innocent antiques auction – where they sold for £11,000.

“Hunt out your undiscovered items. You never know, the same could happen to you,” said Philip.

Philip and Piers will be at the Love Lechlade Extravaganza on Saturday, May 20 from 10am until 12.30pm.

The Extravaganza is being held to raise funds to build a new hall after the old one was destroyed by arsonists.

Antiques owners will be asked to pay £3 per item to receive expert advice from Philip and Piers about their possessions.

And on Wednesday, May 24 from 2pm until 6pm the team will be at Moore Allen & Innocent’s new land agency offices in Knockdown, on the Wiltshire / Gloucestershire border near Tetbury, offering their valuation services in aid of the £1.25m Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal.

The charity that operates the Air Ambulance has already raised more than £250,000 to build a new airbase at Semington, near Melksham – putting the helicopter within 11 minutes of every community in the county and bringing the aircraft, crew and administrative staff under one roof.

Philip and Piers hope plenty of £3 per item donations will bring the appeal just that little bit closer to raising the final £1 million.

Cheryl Johnson, head of Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s Airbase Appeal, said: “We’d like to thank Philip and Piers for choosing our Airbase Appeal to benefit from donations at their forthcoming valuation day.

“As well as finding out if you have a valuable antique, your donation will help to complete the building and equipping of our new airbase. Work has begun on the new airbase so it is more important than ever that we raise the remaining funds needed.”

For more information about buying and selling antiques at auction, log on to mooreallen.co.uk