GOALKEEPER Gordon Banks, one of the heroes of England's victorious 1966 World Cup squad, threw his support behind efforts to create a safe play haven for children with special needs this week, reports Rachel Kitchen.

Banks was the guest of honour at a sports dinner at the Blue Bell Hotel, Heversham, to raise money for Sandgate School's playground appeal.

"It was a wonderful night, a huge success," said event promoter Steve Coupe, who hopes the evening will have raised around £600.

The dinner, presented by Sport-smark UK and supported by catering butchers Althams of Morecambe, attracted 58 guests.

Mr Coupe said the Blue Bell Hotel and Sportsmark UK would continue to support the playground appeal until the target was met, and further events were being planned.

Meanwhile, David Barber

hopes to have raised £200 for Sandgate after running his second London Marathon.

The Kendal paint sprayer crossed the finish line in four hours eight minutes, three minutes faster than last year.

"There was definitely more support on the way round this year than last year, a lot more people - it was absolutely incredible.

I would definitely recommend anybody to do it," said Mr Barber, who is now contem-plating running next year's New York Marathon.

Looking ahead

to this weekend, collectors of vintage writing equipment and fountain pens have the chance to help raise money for Sandgate's new play-ground at an auction.

The sale of 100 selected items is to take place at the Clifton Arms Hotel, on West Beach, Lytham, on Sunday.

The auction is part of the Northern Pen Show, organised by Kendal pen expert Alan Lloyd,

who said: "We have had a wonderful res-ponse from well-known collectors all over the world who have offered some of their special items for sale at this auction, so much so that we have had to turn down items which a normal auction house would have been delighted to sell."

Going under the hammer will be

rare fountain pens, Victorian pencils, dip pens, unusual old desk items, restoration tools and collectors' books on writing sent from Germany, Holland, the USA and Britain, while major manu-facturers such as Lamy and Conway Stewart have donated expensive items and instructed that all the proceeds are to go to Sandgate School.

Auction co-ordinator Dr Jim Marshall, of Skelton, near Penrith - author of Miller's Guide on Pens and Writing Equipment - said all the buyers'

and sellers' premiums would be donated to the school, and that sum could top £ 1,000.

The Northern Pen Show opens to the public at 9.30am, and the bidding will begin at 2.30pm.

See Karen Barden People this week for a profile on Gordon Banks.