The auction to raise money towards the construction of a dairy farm was originally planned for the start of February, during a Sunday lunch at a restaurant. However, that was cancelled when the island went into lockdown. 

Organiser Jan Guy was disappointed, having arranged a wide variety of interesting promises donated by residents and businesses on Sark and in Jersey and Guernsey. 

“We had 24 promises to auction, including sailing trips, a horse and carriage tour, a guided visit to a famous cave, home-made cakes and wine. Our new dairy farmers promised some of their lovely cheeses as well as the chance to be a dairy farmer for the afternoon. 

“We didn’t want these to go to waste, so decided to put the auction online instead, asking people to bid by email. The result has been amazing and far exceeded what I hoped we would raise.” 

One of the promises was three lots of the finest manure donated by Sark’s resident donkeys – Florence and Ruby. The successful bidder was keen gardener Wendy Kiernan. 

In total, the auction raised £4,067.79. Donations can be made to the Sark Community Dairy Trust through crowdfunder.co.uk/sark-dairy 

Pictured top: Wendy Kiernan takes delivery of her lot, directly from the suppliers Florence and Ruby.