Undeterred by the cancellation of this year’s Royal Cornwall Show, fundraisers from R.A.B.I’s Cornwall committee ploughed on and held an auction and quiz online to help support farmers in the county.

A total of over £10,000 was raised, with donations still coming in, from the event held on what would have been the middle day of this year’s Royal Cornwall Show.

Edward Buckland Auctioneers facilitated the auction through their online sale platform which saw a total of 40 donated lots fetching £6,221. Items such as breaks on Exmoor, hampers of local produce and agricultural contracting were hotly contested with more than 300 people registering to bid from Scotland to Essex to the Isles of Scilly, a truly international event!

Donations during the quiz, hosted by Brian Harvey from PKF Francis Clark and broadcast live on Facebook, topped £2,000 and were matched by Barclays. Brian also made good on his pledge to shave off his beard should donation on the night exceed £1,000.

Edward Buckland commented: “Again we were bowled over by the level of support and generosity of the local community and their willingness to engage with this event and our inaugural online auction.”

“It was a truly fantastic evening with such great level of support for the fun quiz where up to 150 people logged in to be part of this event and to support this worthy cause,” added Brian Harvey.

John Perry, Cornwall R.A.B.I Chairman, said: “To achieve this result under the current social distancing rules is testament to the all who contributed to this amazing outcome. The end result will make a difference to so many. Thanks to everyone who donated auction items, those who bought them and everyone who took part in the quiz and gave to this worthy cause.”

Special thanks to Sam Oatey from Oatey Media for ensuring the live video broadcast of the quiz ran smoothly and to corporate supporters for their help.