Sasha Festival 2024 Day 2 - Children's Fund Auction

Dawn had set up a wonderful tea party in the garden display featuring some of the props Sara Doggart had used in the original Trendon Sasha catalogues, it was on display all weekend.

Dawn's tea party in the garden display

Tea table while harvesting apples

Gregor helps baby on the slide

Waiting to start the sumptuous tea

Dawn's toddler in her knitted dress and curly hair with her watering can and wheel barrow

Breakfast on the Friday morning at the Sasha Festival was in the restaurant on the fourteenth floor with magnificent views of Milton Keynes - Campbell Park on the one side and the city centre on the other side.

View from the restaurant of Campbell Park including MK Rose, the light pyramid and Willen lake in the distance

View from the restaurant of MK Theatre and Midsummer Boulevard

View from the restaurant of MK Shopping Centre

After breakfast, we went down to the conference room to admire all the Children's Fund Auction entries, the Limited Edition Auction dolls, buy raffle tickets for the special raffle dolls and the helper raffle and admire Dawn's Sasha Tea party in the garden display which was up all weekend. Photos of the raffles will be in another blog post. The photos of the auction items before the auction were all taken by my daughter.

Children' Fund auction lots 1-11

Children' Fund auction lots 8-15

Children' Fund auction lots 11-13

Children' Fund auction lots 14-29

Children' Fund auction lots 18-30

Children' Fund auction lots 33-42

Children' Fund auction lots 35-44

Children' Fund auction lots 44-52

Children' Fund auction lot 48

Children' Fund auction lots 53-65

Children' Fund auction lots 57-70

Children' Fund auction lots 70-77

Children' Fund auction lot 71

Children' Fund auction lots 78-87

Children' Fund auction lot 86

Children' Fund auction lots 86-93

Children' Fund auction lot 93

Children' Fund auction lots 90-104

Children' Fund auction lots 105-114

Children' Fund auction lot 112

Children' Fund auction lots 111-121

Children' Fund auction lot 117

Children' Fund auction lots 120-124 

Children' Fund auction lots 122-130

Children' Fund auction lots 131-140

Children' Fund auction lots 132-140

It was a morning of socialising and taking photos. Lunch was 'on your own' so we grabbed some pastries and fruit from the refreshments area as we had a large breakfast, then returned to the conference room for the start of the Children's Fund Auction.

The afternoon started with the Limited Edition Special Sasha auction of the number 1 dolls of the Trendon Limited Edition dolls. The auctioneer was Janet. For many years, Sasha collectors had wondered what had happened to the number #1 dolls of each Velvet, Pintucks, Kiltie, Harlequin, Prince and Princess. It has recently come to light that Sara Doggert had give the 5 number #1 dolls to her son John Doggert, the number #2 and #3 dolls to his sisters. Earlier this year, John decided his five dolls could be auctioned at the festival, to raise money towards refugee charities, an idea entirely in keeping with Sasha Morgenthaler and Sara Doggert, who had once been a refugee. There was a hidden reserve on each doll and the auction was open to outside bidders, so was live streamed and auction bids were placed online in the Sasha Festival Facebook group.

All six Limited Edition #1 Sasha dolls on display at the festival

Limited Edition #1 Sasha Doll Velvet (1980/1 of 5000)

Limited Edition #1 Sasha Doll Pintucks (1982/1 of approx 4600)

Limited Edition #1 Sasha Doll Kiltie (1983/1 of 4000)

Limited Edition #1 Sasha Doll Harlequin (1984/1 of approx 2500)

Limited Edition #1 Sasha Doll Prince Gregor (1985/1 of approx 3000)

Limited Edition #1 Sasha doll Princess (1986/1 of 350)

Before each doll was auctioned, Janet explained a bit about its history and condition, there were slide pictures up on screen and the dolls were on display in the room. They were all Mint in Box condition and were stunning.

Janet introduces the Limited Edition #1 auction

Slide about the Limited Edition #1 Velvet

Janet with the 6 Limited Edition #1 dolls at the start of the auction

Slide about the Limited Edition #1 Pintucks

Slide about the Limited Edition #1 Kiltie

Slide about the Limited Edition #1 Harlequin

Slide about the Limited Edition #1 Prince Gregor

Slide about the Limited Edition #1 Sasha Princess

Auctioning Slide about the Limited Edition #1 Sasha Princess

It was exciting to watch the bids go up. Not surprisingly, Princess, the most rare of them all (only 350 made in 1986 just before the Trendon factory closed) went for the highest amount, they all fetched good amounts and the total of £2850 was split between Care4Calais (a charity which provides vital support to refugees) 65% and Save the Children 35%.

Then Sheila took over as auctioneer for the Children's Fund Auction. My daughter carried the auction items to the team recording the bids and wrapping the items for collection.

Holding up Lot 70 donated by Anna Doggart

Holding up Lot 71 donated by Janet and Florence

Holding up Lot 76 made and donated by Sheila

Holding up Lot 81 donated by Anna Doggart

Holding up Lot 86 made and donated by Catherine French

Holding up Lot 87 donated by Florence with outfit made by Rosie Laird

Holding up Lot 93 make-over doll donated by Pam

Holding up Lot 102 outfits donated by Lynne

Holding up Lot 112 outfits made and donated by DollMum (me)

I was really pleased that the pair of Scottish inspired outfits I had made from Harris Tweed and Shetland wool had a winning bid of £120. 

A total of £16455 was raised in the Children's Fund Auction for Save the Children, a very gratifying amount from one event.

The total for the CFA, Limited Edition Auction and Helper Raffle ticket sales over the weekend was £19441, all donated to charity.