AN AUCTION of promises was held to help raise £100,000 to build a field study base for an Andover charity which wants to create a legacy for the town.

Andover Trees United held the event on Saturday with various acts providing entertainment at The Central Club, including a folk singer and Ceilidh dancing.

The live auction was held to raise funds with lots including fishing breaks on the River Test, an 80s disco DJ for the night, artwork, a children’s party and a tour of Bombay Sapphire gin distillery.

Money raised from the event will go towards Andover Trees United’s plan to build a cabin in Harmony Woods, in Anton Lane, Enham Alamein.

The volunteer-led group works in partnership with including from schools, businesses and artists to promote conservation and improve access to natural wider spaces.

It has submitted a planning application to Test Valley Borough Council asking for permission to build an off-grid, sustainable field-study base and volunteer room, which is sensitive to its surroundings.

The application states: “By involving the whole community in creating a resource and a legacy for Andover in the form of a new urban woodland, open and accessible to all, we aim to aid the development of a sense of community and inclusivity in our expanding town.”

The proposed cabin is designed to create an “open space suitable for use as a workroom for volunteers and a classroom for visiting school parties”.

It will include an open veranda to “help create a feeling of being linked to the surrounding woodland”.

The charity works with 25 schools in Andover and surrounding villages, and its aim is to involve every young person in the community to create woodland over 10 years from 2012 to 2021.

Each year it welcomes 1,000 children and young people to plant trees and wildflowers, which has resulted in the creation of Harmony Woods – the charity’s flagship community wood.

Andover Trees United hopes to start the building project of the cabin in the summer of 2020, providing it can raise the £100k needed, after receiving planning permission on October 1.

Alex Marshall, from Andover Trees United, said: “We had a wonderful event on Saturday and managed to raise an amazing £3,000.

“The money will go towards the construction of an off-grid, sustainable, woodland classroom and community space in Harmony Woods. The completion of which will benefit all, providing a versatile space within a natural setting for local groups, schools, artists and craftspeople to use.

“Having a fully-functional shelter will enable us to offer more opportunities, workshops and events to the community, such as our summer play scheme that we ran for the first time this summer. It also makes positive steps forward in the fight against climate change. The site will be able to connect members of the community with nature, which is essential in sparking an appreciation for the environment and hence a desire to protect it.”