AN AUCTION of promises aims to boost a village hall appeal fund with items such as a complete Hornby train set and a pair of buffalo hide boots with links to film star Clint Eastwood.

Other promises include a day at Thirsk races, two relief milking sessions, a livestock haul to Northallerton market and semen from a prize-winning bull.

The auction has been arranged to help maintain East Rounton Village Hall.

Ken Donald, one of the organisers, said: "We have a £2,600 bill for updating electrics and that is our target for the night."

Villager Tony Huck is doing all he can to help. The train set he is donating is a double track laid out on a board with points, sidings and buffers. He bought it for £250 about four years ago for his two grandsons.

"But they never played with it much," he said. "So I thought other children might as well get pleasure from it."

The boots were bought in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, where Mr Huck's Stokesley-based adhesives firm has an office.

He said: "A customer could not pay me in sterling and gave me Zimbabwe money. So we went to the Courteney boot company which specialises in handmade footwear."

He paid £150 for the boots, which come with a lifetime guarantee.

"They are unique," said Mr Huck. "When they were making the Clint Eastwood film White Hunter, Black Heart the stars and crew all bought the boots and wore them all the time they were in Zimbabwe.

The auction is set for Wednesday at 8pm in the hall. Wine and nibbles will be available and admission is 50p by catalogue at the door