A SIGNED Middlesbrough Football Club shirt and ball are among the items up for auction to help raise money for a toddler with severe disabilities.

A special telephone line has been set up to start bids rolling for the lots going under the hammer in aid of two-year-old Joshua Peacock, of Northallerton, North Yorkshire, who suffers from a form of cerebral palsy.

Silent bids will be taken for the next fortnight before the live auction at a hypnosis event at Northallerton Forum on Friday, August 29, at 7.30pm.

Items include signed football shirts and balls from Middlesbrough and Sunderland, a football signed by the sports presenters at Century FM radio, two VIP tickets to RAF Leeming including lunch, five tickets for a tour of the Manchester United museum and four tickets to York City Football Club

Bids over the telephone can be placed by anyone not able to attend the televised hypnosis show in Northallerton, where the world's fastest stage hypnotist will attempt to put 40 volunteers under his spell.

Money collected on the night will be added to the Joshua Peacock Fund, which aims to raise thousands of pounds to help buy specialist care and equipment for the youngster, who suffers from brain damage.

Joshua's mother, Vikki, of St James' Drive, Northallerton, is overwhelmed by the amount of support people have already shown her family and hopes to see a full turn out at the event.

To place a bid on any of the items in the auction or to book tickets for the event call 0870 321 5674. Tickets cost £5 and are available on the door.