By Richard Edwards
LEEDS lovely Nell McAndrew is putting one of her hats under the hammer in aid of a vital national charity.
Model Nell, who recently announced she is expecting her first child, handed over two pieces of headgear to be auctioned of
f in aid of the charity DebRA.
Nell forged strong links with the charity, which helps people with the genetic skin condition Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), after meeting Jonny Kennedy.
Jonny reached the nation's hearts with his bravery when he appeared in the award-winning documentary The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off. Five million people tuned in to the Channel 4 documentary, screened two years ago. They were touched by Jonny's good humour, bravery and determination to live life to the full. The film charted Jonny's death as well as his life, as he passed away, aged 36, in 2003.
Nell, a DebRA vice-president, has donated a butterfly hat she wore when she first met Jonny, as well as a stunning Gabriela Ligenza hat.
Awareness
The Belle Isle beauty said: "I promised my friend Jonny that I would continue to support DebRA whenever I could.
"The charity's Celebrity Mad Hatter eBay Auction is a great way to help raise awareness and funds for such a great cause, by simply bidding for your favourite hat.
"I have donated two hats, the pretty Philip Treacy one I wore when I first met Jonny and a very classy Gabriela Ligenza hat I wore at Ascot. Make sure you bid and support DebRA and keep Jonny's dream alive of finding a cure for EB."
Other stars taking part in the auction include Sir David Jason, boxer Amir Khan, Ronnie Corbett, and Ewan McGregor.
The auction will be launched on Thursday, April 27 and will run until Sunday May 21. For more details, visit www.debra.org.uk and click on the mad hatter icon, or to bid visit www.ebay.co.uk on April 27.
On Friday, May 5 people are invited to join DebRA's Mad Hatter campaign by wearing a hat for the day and making a £1 donation to DebRA.
To take part in Mad Hatter Day, email madhatter@debra.org.uk or telephone 01344 771961.
richard.edwards@ypn.co.uk
