CELEBRITY auctioneer Philip Serrell will step in to help a Kidderminster man who has suffered family tragedy by raising funds for a new charity recently set up in the Wyre Forest region

Christopher Harvey lost both his wife Alane and son James to illness and now wants to help support research into less common conditions that can prove life limiting.

He has set up the charity with the help of his adult children which will be known as The Alane and James Harvey Memorial Charity.

It will raise money for research into Cholangiocarcinoma, which is bile duct cancer that proved the cause of Alane’s death.

The charity will also support Hydrocephalus, which creates a build up of fluid around the brain. James developed this while still in the womb and eventually died from it before he was three years old.

To help raise funds, a charity auction has been arranged for October 6 where Philip Serrell will officiate.

He is best known for appearances on television programmes such as Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip.

Money raised from the acution will be shared between the fledgling charity and KEMP Hospice in Kidderminster who cared for Alane throughout the final 18 months of her life.

Christopher Harvey said:”We are very grateful to Philip for doing this and now we are asking people to look through their cupboards and attics to see if there are any items they could donate to the auction”

Anyone who can help are asked to email ajhmc@btinternet.com or telephone 07784 315481 when arrangements can be made to collect items.

Bile duct cancer is a curable condition if caught early enough but difficult to diagnose.

Research into Hydrocephalus is ongoing and benefits many people currently living with the condition. The charity is seeking to focus attention on its ante-natal development.