LONDON, ENGLAND.-Last night (4 Nov 04) saw the auction of 24 unique pieces of David Beckham inspired art by some of the world's most renowned artists including; Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, David Mach, Martin Maloney, Cathy de Monchaux, Alison Jackson and Holly Johnson. The auction held at Christie's raised over £60,000 with ticket sales, raffle and donations making up the total of £152,000 all in aid of The National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS).

Beckham was unable to attend but said: "The most important aspect of this auction is the funding and awareness that will be generated for the National Deaf Children's Society. They do a lot of fantastic work on the ground and I admire the support they provide to help these children lead a normal life. I hope the evening is a great success and that my name in some small way will help them to achieve their goal."

A host of celebrities, art collectors, and corporate supporters including attended the auction to view and bid for these unique pieces, which include sculptures, paintings and photographs inspired by the England captain. This is the flagship event in a year of celebrations to mark the diamond jubilee of NDCS - the only charity dedicated to the support of the UK's 35,000 deaf children.

All the works were selected for the auction by Sheilagh Tennant. Other artists are: Sophie Barnard, David Begbie, Zadok Ben-David, John Byrne, Rob and Nick Carter, Daniel Chadwick, Keith Coventry, Graham Flack, Peter Howson, The Little Artists, Sue Macartney-Snape, Toby Mott, Annee Olofsson, Louise Simson, and Jonathan Yeo.

The auction has been the brainchild of artist Hugo Rittson-Thomas, who has been deaf since childhood and has been organised by a committee of celebrities, philanthropists and society people, which includes Pet Shop boy Neil Tennant, Princess Margaret's son Viscount Linley and TV's Trinny Woodall.

Hugo created the event to help NDCS celebrate its diamond anniversary and raise vital funds to help deaf children. Hugo said: "David Beckham is the most globally recognised icon of the decade. He appeals to boys and girls, young and old, gay and straight. I can't think of anyone else with his reach. The artists have been extremely generous with their time and skills and I'm sure we will not have any trouble finding buyers for these fantastic pieces of work".