Celebrity auction for Gaza students adds Nicola Coughlan and Paapa Essiedu
Nicola Coughlan, Paapa Essiedu and other stars are auctioning personal items to fund scholarships for students in Gaza.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
A celebrity auction for Gaza students will open bidding on July 27, with Nicola Coughlan, Paapa Essiedu and more than 20 other public figures offering personal and signed items to raise scholarship funds.
The fundraiser is being coordinated by the charity Phoenix Space and will run for 10 days on the Scholarships for Gaza auction website, according to Variety. The push follows a U.K. government announcement that it will help students in Gaza travel to and study in Britain if they have fully funded scholarships.
Phoenix Space says hundreds of students in Gaza have received offers from U.K. universities but do not have the money needed to take up those places. This year’s offers include places at University College London, Imperial and Edinburgh, with subjects including artificial intelligence and cognitive neuroscience, according to the charity.
What is the celebrity auction for Gaza students?
The auction is a fundraising sale of items and experiences donated by actors, musicians, writers and broadcasters. Money raised is intended to help students in Gaza cover the funding required to study at universities in the U.K.
Coughlan, known for “Bridgerton,” has donated a signed behind-the-scenes photograph with her “Derry Girls” co-star Siobhán McSweeney. Essiedu, who is part of the upcoming “Harry Potter” series, is offering his own personal copy of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.”
In a statement reported by Variety, Essiedu said he could not imagine “almost all universities being destroyed” and talent across disciplines being left without opportunity. He added that he hoped the book could help “unlock the futures” of the students.
The celebrity list also includes Brian Cox, Gary Lineker, Paloma Faith, Maxine Peake, Juliet Stevenson, Charlotte Church, Harriet Walter, Vanessa Redgrave and Janet Suzman, according to Phoenix Space.
What items are in the auction?
The donated lots mix theatre keepsakes, fashion pieces, signed memorabilia and one-off experiences. Among the items listed by Variety are:
- A signed Japan football shirt from Gary Lineker.
- An “I Swear” production hoodie from Maxine Peake.
- The first poetry book Juliet Stevenson ever owned.
- A place at Charlotte Church’s next wellness retreat.
- Harriet Walter’s personal script from the Donmar Warehouse all-female production of “Julius Caesar,” plus a signed copy of her book.
- A necklace Vanessa Redgrave wore in the play “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.”
- A vintage Christian Lacroix brooch from Janet Suzman.
The auction is being hosted at the Scholarships for Gaza auction website. Bidding begins July 27 and stays open for 10 days, according to the organizers.
The fundraiser puts a clear target behind the celebrity sparkle: getting students who already have university offers the financial backing they need to use them. Phoenix Space says the barrier is funding, not admission, for many of the students it hopes the auction will support.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.