Antiques Dealer Backs Healthcare Worker Mum With NHS Charity Auction

Published on: 19 Apr, 2020
Updated on: 19 Apr, 2020

Antiques and collectables dealer Phil Mires is running an online charity auction in aid of the NHS, inspired by his mother who works at Chertsey’s St Peter’s Hospital.

Phil, who hit national headlines four months ago for his record as a dealer, has a deep admiration for his Mum, now redeployed as a health care assistant (HCA) to help in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.

He hopes to raise a four-figure sum from 75 hand-picked lots from his own special stock, including a coat worn by star actress Emma Thompson.

Coat worn by star actress Emma Thompson.

Phil, 25, scored his record rise to headline fame by building his £350,000 online business selling antiques and collectables from scratch in just five years, starting as a minimum-wage, zero-hours contractor.

He said: “My Mum is incredibly anxious and restless about what is going on. It’s not just the challenges at the hospital itself she has to contend with, she is also a carer for my Nan (a widow in her late 80s) who suffers from dementia and has other underlying health issues.

“Unfortunately, my Nan’s dementia is now at the stage where she can no longer do basic tasks for herself. It is all very upsetting.”

Added to the frustration is that although Phil and his Mum are part of a large local family, including another key worker, they can do little to help.

“Despite living locally, it is hard for other relatives, including me, to help my Nan because she is high-risk and in isolation for at least 12 weeks, so visiting her to offer support could put her at even more risk.

“If I can’t do that, at least I can run the online charity auction to raise money for the NHS.”

Items on offer will include contemporary art, decorative ceramics, collector’s toys and memorabilia.

One highlight will be the stunning bespoke dark-grey wool coat worn by Ms Thompson at Maria Grachvogel’s 2013 London Fashion Week show and when accompanying her mother (the actress Phyllida Law) to Buckingham Palace to collect her OBE from the Queen.

The auction will start on Thursday, April 23 and last for 10 days. Potential bidders should visit Phil’s website www.pm-antiques.co.uk.