HARRY Potter helped to raise thousands of pounds for the Peace Centre at a black tie champagne ball.

A copy of the last novel about the boy wizard, signed by author J K Rowling, sold for £2,200 during a charity auction at the fundraising event at the Park Royal Hotel, Stretton, on Friday night.

Hundreds of town dignitaries, businesspeople and supporters donned tuxedos and ballgowns for the annual ball in aid of the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace, which is based at the Peace Centre, Peace Drive, Great Sankey.

Paul Crone, Granada Reports journalist and well-known charity fundraiser, gave his time free to perform the master of ceremony duties. He also turned auctioneer to host the charity auction, whose other lots included the opportunity to swim with sharks at the Blue Planet Aquarium, Ellesmere Port, and to take an indoor skydive.

The audience was treated to a performance of classical music by X-Factor star Paris Graham-Jones and her sister, Portia.

Colin and Wendy Parry, whose son Tim was killed in the IRA bombing of Warrington in 1993, and Claire White, Foundation chief executive, spoke of the work done by the Peace Centre on conflict resolution. They introduced a short film about this work presented by actress Emma Thompson.