Celeb-mingling fundraiser shuts down VIP charity firm leaving £30k owed to kids’ hospice

A “friend of the stars” fundraiser has shut down his VIP charity auction firm leaving tens of thousands of pounds owed to good causes.

Auction firm boss Alan Lambert – who has been snapped at glitzy bashes with Harry Kane, Anthony Joshua and Geri Halliwell – suddenly pulled the plug.

And the overnight collapse of his Good 2 Auction company has sparked chaos among charities including a children’s hospice owed more than £30,000.

Attempts to contact 50-year-old Lambert in recent days have been met with the curt automated response: “As of 12:00 on Tuesday 21st May 2024, Good 2 Auction has ceased trading.”

Donors who bid thousands for prizes at gala dinners have also been hit – with one woman flying to Monaco only to find her VIP grand prix yacht trip had been axed.

One distraught charity chief told The Sun last night: “We’re owed tens of thousands of pounds and are at our wit’s end.

“Donations are the lifeblood of charities like ours and we simply can’t function without the support and goodwill of donors.

“We were promised all of the money raised over the reserve price at a gala dinner which seemed to go very well and were expecting a major boost to our funds.

“But now we just don’t know where to turn.”

Good 2 Auction has specialised in running big money “silent auctions” at posh fundraising events since 2019.

The firm provides the prizes – including sports memorabilia and VIP luxury trips – for which wealthy benefactors submit sealed bids after thumbing through a brochure.

Lambert has rubbed shoulders with a galaxy of sports and showbiz stars on the charity auction circuit including: England captain Kane, boxing hero Joshua, Spice Girl Geri and F1 boss hubby Christian Horner, rugby legend and royal hubby Mike Tindall, soccer boss Harry Redknapp, DJ Vernon Kay, Chelsea icon John Terry, boxing legend Frank Bruno, TV star Kate Garraway, presenter Rylan Clark and former soccer stars Peter Crouch, Ashley Cole and Ian Wright.

Charities have been assured by Good 2 Auction that all money raised above the minimum bid price for prizes will be paid directly to good causes.

But funds from events staged in recent months have not yet been paid and charity donors confirmed “experience” prizes including luxury weekend breaks had not so far been honoured.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice – which cares for 350 children with life-limiting conditions every year confirmed they owed “at least £30,000” by Good 2 Auction yesterday and would be seriously affected.

Anxious bosses at the hospice in Barnet, North London – which aims to “support those who die young in as much comfort as possible”, declined to comment further yesterday.

Garden House Hospice Care was also rocked by the company collapse and was confirmed it was attempting to recover at least £31,000 in donations and promised funds.

Bosses of the hospice team – serving terminally ill people in North Hertfordshire – said they had also been unable to contact Lambert or Good 2 Auction and declined to comment.

The Seashell Trust – a national charity providing support to children and young adults with complex disabilities – told The Sun they were owed £22,000 by Good 2 Auction yesterday.

Marie Travers, Director of Fundraising, Marketing, and Communications at Seashell, said: “We worked with Good 2 Auction for our recent fundraising ball having received very positive recommendations.

Our donors and supporters invested their money and trust and expected their donations to come to a charity they feel very passionately about

Marie Travers

“When we heard the business had ceased trading, we took immediate steps by contacting The Fundraising Regulator and continue to attempt to contact Good 2 Auction.

“While any loss to a charity is devastating news, we also know that many of the auction prize winners will also not yet know whether they will receive their prize or not.

“This, to us, is an even greater loss – our donors and supporters invested their money and trust and expected their donations to come to a charity they feel very passionately about.

“Even worse was that some of our supporters made donations through Good 2 Auction to go directly to support our children and young adults with the most complex needs.

“We hope that we can recover some, if not all, the money owed to us and would be happy to work with other charities affected, as well as The Fundraising Regulator, to make this happen.

“Any Seashell supporters who have concerns or questions are welcome to contact us too.”

Wealthy businesswoman Sally Alington, 45, was a guest at a black tie fundraiser in November last year at the five-star hotel, The Londonder, in the capital’s Leicester Square.

She bid a total of £11,000 and won four Good 2 Auction silent auction prizes, including £3,000 for a VIP trip to watch the Monaco Grand Prix aboard a yacht in Monte Carlo.

The customer experience consultant paid £2,000 to book flights and a hotel for the luxury trip and flew out last weekend – only to find her yacht prize had not been paid for.

Sally told The Sun: “I got to Monaco and found there was no prize – I was upset and angry and didn’t know what to do.

“I tried to contact Good 2 Auction but all I got was messages saying they had ceased trading.

“Then they emailed me telling me: ‘The Director will reach out to you. He is currently in Monaco and if you wish to purchase packages at a hugely discounted rate, this is still an option for you.’

“I couldn’t believe it!

“Lambert was enjoying a weekend in Monaco and asking me to pay more money for my charity prize – while desperate charities chased him for money.

“His company’s conduct has been nothing short of disgusting.”

A Sun investigation has found that since 2018, Lambert has registered nine companies at Companies House – of which seven were struck off without filing accounts.

Lambert – who lives in a detached £1.2 million mansion in North London with a Range Rover and Land Rover on the drive – was the sole director and 100% shareholder in each.

An announcement on Good 2 Auction’s website announced that the company had ceased trading on May 21 but its official status as Companies House is still ‘active’.

His company’s conduct has been nothing short of disgusting

Sally Alington

Of the nine companies only accounts for Good 2 Auction have so far been submitted.

And as of March 31 last year, accounts suggest the firm owed creditors £695,414 most of which was due to be paid within twelve months, but had total assets of just £545,045, leaving an apparent shortfall of £110,369.

In January this year – in the same month Good 2 Auction was taken to court for unpaid bills – Lambert set up “personal services” company Opulent UK Group, which is still trading.

A county court judgement against Carita Silent Auctions was recorded on March 17 2019 for £3,083.

Two CCJs are also recorded against Good2Auction – one for £8,533 in October last year a second for £4,730 on January 24.

On his X account Lambert describes himself as “ex Royal Navy, marathon runner and Liverpool FC fan” .

His X profile includes a pic of him posing for a selfie with TV star Bradley Walsh at a black tie event.

Good 2 Auction still has a live LinkedIn account with more than 100 followers  and boasts working “with a variety of charities’ including Help for Heroes, The James Milner Foundation, Cancer Research, Dame Kelly Homes Foundation, Macmillan Support, Asthma UK, Action Medical Research and The Willow Foundation.”

Lambert’s own LinkedIn page has been shut down but he was previously listed as “Chief Enthusiast” for the firm.

‘CHIEF ENTHUSIAST

The website for Good2Auction has also been deleted but previous versions retrieved by The Sun feature Lambert advising “the Best Ways to raise Money for Charity” with glowing reviews.

Another deleted web page says Lambert has over 15 years experience in the charity auction and hospitality industry and aims to “maximise funds raised for charities at high society events”.

Other locations listed for Lambert’s companies in Hertfordshire, London and Scotland are accountancy correspondence addresses.

Email approaches to Lambert and Good 2 Auction’s information address were all met with the automated response “message received” yesterday and a notice that the firm had ceased trading.

The UK’s Funding Regulator – the independent body set up to uphold standards in the charity sector – confirmed it had received a complaint regarding Good 2 Auction.

A spokesman added that the unidentified complainant may be advised to contact Action Fraud and the police.

Spokesmen for the City of London Police and Action Fraud – the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime – were contacted but declined to comment.

The Sun called at Lambert’s home – in a leafy millionaire’s row – and left a written request for comment plus phone and WhatsApp messages on his mobile phone but received no reply.