Lots to be desired

At a time when spontaneity has been in short supply, who can resist the impetuosity of a sporting auction? Not even a Fortnum’s catalogue can match ‘the money can’t (usually) buy’ experiences on offer at a good charity shindig and with balls and gala dinners largely back in full swing, it’s time to unzip our wallets and unleash our spirit of adventure again.

Since the ticket sales of many hunt, school and charity balls barely cover the evening’s running costs, it’s usually the auction’s job to raise beefy funds for the chosen cause. Pity its poor organisers, then, charged with raising a five-or six-figure sum in that heady interval between the table wine drying up and the DJ kicking off.

The key to success is having auction lots of different types and values appropriate to your crowd, a good party setting and a clued-up auctioneer – and the more money-can’t-buy experiences the better.

“It’s got to be fun, fast and buzzy,” says Desi