Dame Shirley Bassey is hoping some big spenders will turn out as she auctions off some of her famous dresses for charity. The veteran Cardiff-born singer has announced the gala sale to mark the 50th anniversary of her career in showbusiness, and hopes to raise more than £50,000.
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The auction will take place at Christie's in London on 18 September, and will
raise funds for the Noah's Ark Appeal to build a children's hospital in Wales.
News of the charity night comes just before Dame Bassey makes her debut at the
Llangollen International Eisteddfod on Sunday. The dress she wore to sing at the inauguration of President John F Kennedy is among those up for sale, as is the gold and silver sequinned gown associated with her huge hit Goldfinger. "Parting with these beautiful gowns will be an emotional experience," said the singer, whose songs include Moonraker, I Who Have Nothing and Big Spender. "They have brought me great success in my career and have been loved and admired by so many. "I hope the new owners take as much pleasure from them as I have over the last 50 years."
As well as helping the Noah's Ark Appeal, some of the cash raised will go towards a scholarship which she is establishing at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. The annual award will seek to benefit young talented artists who wish to train at the college. "I am thrilled my collection of gowns will help raise money for two deserving causes so close to my heart," she said.
The dresses range from a sleeveless stage gown encrusted with crystals that dates back to 1955 to a chiffon cat suit she wore at her 60th birthday concert at Althorp Park in 1997.
Her Llangollen show on Sunday will be the latest in a series of high-profile, show-stopping performances from the superstar. She topped the bill at the opening of the Welsh Assembly in 1999, and performed the anthem World In Union with Bryn Terfel for the Rugby World Cup in 2000. Event spokesman Nigel Davies said: "Shirley Bassey is probably the biggest non-classical name we have had. "I believe it is the first time she has performed in this part of north Wales, certainly at Llangollen."
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