MORE than 100 celebrities have given a North-East toddler a helping hand.

An exhibition of pictures and hand casts created by famous people will go on display before being auctioned to raise money for Tilly Lockey, from Tow Law, County Durham, whose hands and toes had to be amputated after she contracted meningitis when she was 15 months old.

The display will include one-off artwork by author JK Rowling, James Bond actor Daniel Craig, the late Sir Bobby Robson and Durham cricketer and Ashes winner Paul Collingwood.

The one-day exhibition, at the Centre for Life, in Newcastle, on Saturday, will allow the public to view the collection free before they are auctioned next month.

Tilly’s parents, Adam and Sarah, have spent the past two years raising money to buy their daughter prosthetic hands – which cost £24,000 a pair.

Mrs Lockey said: “We have all of these wonderful quirky and unique drawings and hand casts created by celebrities to help us raise funds for Tilly.

“These will be auctioned at a dinner next month, but we wanted to share them with as many people as possible before they become part of someone’s private collection.”

The exhibition will be in the Centre for Life’s conference centre, next to Central Station, from 10am to 4.30pm.

The collection will be auctioned on September 5 at the Hilton Hotel, in Gateshead.

Television soap star turned singer, Richard Fleeshman, will headline the Tilly Lockey Celebrity Handprint Auction, which will be attended by a number of famous people including patron Denise Welch and her husband, Tim Healy, Duncan Bannatyne, and a number of regional footballers.

North-East-born fashion designer Scott Henshall, who will create a handprint based on his £5m dress worn by Samantha Mumba at the Spiderman 3 film premier.

Tickets to attend the auction are £65 a person, which includes a champagne reception, three-course dinner and a range of entertainment, including X Factor finalists Badlashes.

To buy tickets visit givetillyahand.com or call 0191-370-9559.