It had been a big fixture on the Isle of Man charity calendar for 30 years so when the Hogg family announced this year’s auction would be the last, it was always going to be one of the most impressive too.

When the great event took place, at the Palace Hotel, in Douglas, an army of supporters went the extra mile with their donations, buyers came flocking and, most importantly, they dug deep too.

And the result was a staggering £24,163 (and counting) raised for the Hogg Motorsport charity that funds medical support and equipment for motorsport events in the island.

’People really pulled out all the stops when we said it was to be the last one,’ said Shaun Hogg.

’We certainly had a full house on the evening: there were between 200 and 250 people there in person and they were generous too.’

Generous

One of the star lots was a TT trophy, donated by sidecar star Dave Molyneux, artistically mounted in a polished sidecar wheel. This raised about £3,000.

Car spares shop Motoworld also contributed £2,000 it raised from recycling car batteries.

Bidders put their hands in their pockets for stays at holiday lodges, a range of pictures and the complete spectrum of motorcycle racing memorabilia, including a Kawasaki branded watch that raised a staggering £800.

’There was a lot of very good quality stuff and people were just very, very generous,’ Shaun said.

’Over the years, on average, each auction has raised around £6,000 to £7,000. I think the very first one raised about £1,000.

’This year, as it was the last, we hoped we might make £10,000, so it surpassed our expectations by far.’

Shaun said the family certainly isn’t turning its back on fundraising, but may try something different in the future.

In the meantime, they want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the generous supporters who helped the event to happen, not just this year but over the preceding 30 years too.

The Hogg family started the charity in memory of Shaun’s brother, Phil, who died during a practice accident at Ballagarey for the 1989 TT races.

The charity relies on donations from the public to buy medical equipment for use around the TT course as well as to train its volunteers.