A PRIZE collection of Star Wars Lego is helping to build a hospice’s in-patient unit after a fan paid more than £1,400 for the toy set.
The power of the force proved to be a sales success after a single box was displayed in the window of St Teresa’s Hospice shop in Skinnergate, Darlington.
A collector not only bought the Venetor Cruiser but the whole collection, including an imperial star destroyer and Jabba the Hutt’s sail barge, with the final bill coming to £1,440.
Manager Janice Elmer said: “Someone donated boxes of the Lego on my day off. It looked like it might be from the period of the films so I got my son Matthew to research it and check the collections were intact. There were even the little figures, including Chewbacca.
“One morning I saw a gentleman outside and he came in and asked to buy the whole collection. He was obviously a very keen collector as he had just been to a Lego convention in Las Vegas.
“It was all really good timing as the new Star Wars movie is about to be released so there is a lot of interest in the film and Lego always remains popular.”
The cash boost will help St Teresa’s pay for a 10-bed in-patient unit at the hospice in Woodland Road.
The hospice needs to raise £2.2m a year to maintain its professional services for the local community, money that comes from charitable donations, support from the community organisations and businesses, a chain of charity shops, legacies and fundraising events such as the recent annual ball.
Chief executive Jane Bradshaw said: “Our shops prove to be veritable Aladdin’s caves and it is always exciting to hear about the latest gem to be donated for us to sell.
“We are so grateful to the person who donated the Lego and the collector who was happy to buy it.”
