An auction organiser spent the night in a village hall guarding donated items following an attempted burglary.

Andree Pragnell stayed with the goods at Lavant village hall, near Chichester, after a youth was caught breaking in.

Among auction lots guarded by Mrs Pragnell were books and CDs signed by pop stars and actors.

They included a book autographed by Sir Cliff Richard and another signed by vet James Herriot and donated by actor Christopher Timothy, who played the vet in TV's All Creatures Great and Small.

Lots also included two CDs signed by Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry, who lives at Fittleworth and who helped launch the £1m appeal fund earlier this year outside Chichester Cathedral.

An appeal spokesman said today: "Also in the hall were all sorts of items including a dolls' house, chainsaw and an exercise bike and many other items donated by people. It was a bit like the Generation Game in there."

The auction raised £2,338 towards a £1 million appeal to buy a magnetic resonance imager for St Richard's Hospital, Chichester.

The MRI is a sophisticated diagnostic machine to produce detailed images of the body.

One of its specialities is to show changes to bones and joints, such as the knee and hip, that are undetectable in any other way.

Mrs Pragnell's daughter, Gemma, 16, endured years of knee problems and months on crutches before an MRI scan at a private hospital showed up the problem.

Mrs Pragnell is now committed to raising the funds needed for the same machine on the NHS.

She said: "I'm glad we were able to help the appeal on its way. It will be fantastic to have an MRI at St Richard's. It will help an awful lot of people, including lots of young people."