Stone Roses legend Mani and his wife Imelda have raised over £100,000 for two charities which helped her following her cancer diagnosis.
A pair of David Beckham's boots, six Oasis platinum discs, an award given to Liam Gallagher and one of Mani's Stone Roses bandmate John Squire's guitars have all been sold at auction, taking the amount now raised by the couple into six figures.
Imelda was diagnosed with bowel cancer two years ago, prompting her and her husband to begin to raise awareness and funds for both The Christie Hospital and The Stockport Charitable Trust, the charitable arm of Stepping Hill hospital, after both treated Imelda.
A fundraising event at the Kimpton Clocktower hotel which said its aim was to 'kick cancer's arse' was held last month raising £24,000. An online auction with an array of pieces donated by friends from the world of music, sport and entertainment has now raised more than £80,000.
The highest winning bid during the online auction, run by Adam Partridge auctioneers and valuers and which ended on Thursday, was £16,800 for a Jackson Pollock-inspired painted and signed Hofner guitar donated by John Squire.
Guitars signed and donated by Damon Albarn, Arctic Monkeys, Primal Scream, Foo Fighters, Peter Hook, and The Who were all also up for sale.
A framed and signed set of six platinum discs for the Oasis album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? donated by Noel Gallagher also raised £8,000.
The 2022 NME award for 'Music Moment of the Year' given to Noel's brother Liam Gallagher raised £4,100 and a pair of signed boots David Beckham wore during last match of his career, a Ligue 1 tie for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on May 18 2013, were sold for £6,800.
Imelda was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in November 2020. The cancer spread to her liver and a small nodule in her lung and she underwent emergency life-saving bowel surgery after it perforated.
After months of treatments, Imelda had the right side of her liver removed. She is currently waiting for the next stage of treatment.
She said that she and her husband, real name Gary Mounfield who also played in Primal Scream during his career, "would like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came along to the event and all those who bid online for the auction. "
Adding: "Both charities have supported me through my journey. Cancer affects not just the person who has it, but everyone around them, and I hope that by investing in some more research, we can help alleviate some of the devastation caused to families."
Louise Stimson, head of fundraising at The Christie Charity, said: "We're really touched that Imelda's experiences as a patient have spurred her and Mani into action for our charity, helping us provide more support to patients like her."
Karen James OBE, chief executive for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, said, "We're hugely grateful to Imelda and Mani's efforts in organising the fundraising event and auction.
"We're proud of the care Imelda and many others with cancer have received at Stepping Hill Hospital. This fundraiser for our charity is a really touching display of her thanks, which will help us go on to support more patients in the future."
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