A FUNDRAISING auction at a pub in Plympton St Maurice has raised £3,700 for Hope For Howard, supporting West Alvington man Howard Wicks.

Howard, who was left with Locked In Syndrome after a massive stroke in 2012, and Hope For Howard is a charity set up to help Howard get the best equipment, computers and anything else to help him on his road to recovery.

The Brook Inn held an Auction of Promises on Saturday, March 19, with donations by chart-topping singer Jamie Lawson, local MP Gary Streeter and a recording studio – The Music Mill, Newton Abbot, among the catalogue of lots - and a celebrity auctioneer – Graham Barton from the BBC’s Homes Under The Hammer to officiate.

John Govier, the landlord of The Brook Inn at Plympton St Maurice, first met Howard and his family when he invited them as guests on his Saturday morning show on BBC Radio Devon.

‘Howard’s story is very humbling,’ said John. ‘I just knew when I met him that I wanted to help in some way so when I moved into the pub trade he was the obvious choice for our fundraising efforts.’

So far, more than £1300 has been raised through quiz nights, raffles, special events and donations from staff and customers but the team decided that they wanted to increase their efforts even further before the 12 months of fundraising was up.

The auction made £2,111 for Hope for Howard, bringing the pub’s total up to £3,700 and they are planning a sponsored head shave on Saturday, April 9, at 8pm, where eight volunteers are ‘Going Bald for Howard’.

Jezz Sly, Hope For Howard, said: ‘With live music and a friendly atmosphere another great evening is guaranteed. People can find details on Facebook if they wish to attend, join in with the head shaving, if they are mad enough, or if they would like to sponsor them.’

Howard would like to express his gratitude to ‘the lovely people who raised such a huge amount of money’. The Brook Inn can be found at 33 Longbrook Street, Plympton St Maurice, PL7 1NJ.