โBridgertonโ star Nicola Coughlan and โHarry Potterโ series actor Paapa Essiedu are among more than 20 celebrities who are auctioning off meaningful items to raise money for students in Gaza.
The auction, coordinated by charity Phoenix Space, will begin on July 27 and also features items from Brian Cox, Gary Lineker, Paloma Faith, Maxine Peake, Juliet Stevenson, Charlotte Church, Harriet Walter, Vanessa Redgrave and Janet Suzman. It was spurred by the U.K. governmentโs announcement that it will help students in Gaza travel to and study in the U.K., but they must have fully-funded scholarships.
Coughlan and her โDerry Girlsโ co-star Siobhรกn McSweeney have donated a signed behind-the-scenes photo, while Essiedu is auctioning his own personal โHarry Potter and the Philosopherโs Stoneโ book. โI canโt imagine almost all universities being destroyed and the immense talent in every discipline wasted: no opportunities and no choice at all,โ he said in a statement. โWhat a beautiful thing if this book in some way can unlock the futures of these brilliant students, too.โ
Other donated items include a signed Japan football shirt from Lineker; an โI Swearโ production hoodie from Peake; the first poetry book Stevenson ever owned; a spot in Churchโs next wellness retreat; Walterโs personal script from Donmar Warehouseโs all-female production of โJulius Caesarโ and a signed copy of her book; a necklace Redgrave wore in the play โLong Dayโs Journey Into Nightโ; and a vintage Christian Lacroix brooch from Suzman.
According to Phoenix Space, hundreds of students in Gaza have been offered places at U.K. universities but do not have the funding to attend. This year, the students have offers from University College London, Imperial and Edinburgh in subjects like artificial intelligence and cognitive neuroscience.
Bidding begins July 27 and will run for 10 days on the Scholarships for Gaza auction website.
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