“These donations will undoubtedly cause a stir. It’s going to be exciting and fascinating to see how things pan out” – superstar Ed Sheeran hands over nearly 450 items, including boxer shorts, to help raise vital funds for EACH Music megastar Ed Sheeran has raided his wardrobe and donated hundreds of garments including onesies, socks and even boxer shorts to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). The array of goodies, the majority of which are being sold on the charity’s eBay site, starting from Thursday (16th November), includes jumpers, trousers and hats, as well as jackets, belts, bags, T-shirts and Ipswich Town merchandise. The astonishing haul is set to raise thousands of pounds for EACH, which supports families and cares for children across Ed’s native Suffolk, as well as Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. The singer-songwriter has been an Ambassador for the charity since 2014 and the donations were delivered by a member of his team to EACH’s shop in Bridge Street, Framlingham. Kevin Clements, EACH Director of Fundraising and Communications, said: “It’s an extraordinary gesture and extremely kind of Ed. “His generosity will raise thousands of pounds for our wonderful charity. “Despite his incredible success and sky-high profile, he remains a loyal champion and we’re eternally grateful for his support. “We realise how lucky we are. It’s invaluable and helps raise the profile of the vital care we provide to local children and families. “In total, Ed and his family have donated 445 garments and accessories and the vast majority are going to be sold via eBay auctions. “He has fans all over the world and these donations will undoubtedly cause a stir. It’s going to be exciting and fascinating to see how things pan out.” EACH plans to release a total of 186 garments and accessories, including 27 pairs of boxer shorts, during three separate auctions, starting later this month in time for unique Christmas presents. Another 239 will then be listed in a second sale early next year, with the remaining 20 being reserved for new EACH shop openings. The first 62 items will drop on Thursday (16th November). This will be a ten-day auction, with the next two, both seven-day auctions, going live on 26th November and 3rd December. The starting price per item will be £9.99 and listings will be scheduled to start around 8pm. Auctions can be accessed by heading here. Garments will not be washed or ironed – they will be sold as received – and all sales will be accompanied by a signed letter of authenticity. Items will be sent via fully tracked and insured Royal Mail postage and can be sent overseas. The complete breakdown of stock received is 26 plain T-shirts, 16 T-shirts with a logo or design, six premium T-shirts, 18 premium polo shirts, three plain jumpers, eight jumpers with a logo or design, nine premium jumpers, 11 pairs of trousers, three jackets, five belts, six onesies, 69 bags and accessories, 73 pairs of socks, 149 pairs of boxer shorts (around half of which have been worn and washed and half are brand new), 21 pairs of shorts, a pair of shoes, 14 hats and seven Ipswich Town items. Suffolk-based Ed is a long-time supporter of EACH and he met staff and families at The Treehouse, in Ipswich, after becoming an Ambassador. The 32-year-old memorably performed an acoustic set at a gala fundraiser at Cambridge’s Natural History Museum in 2016. He donated a drum kit which was auctioned for £2,650 and the evening raised more than £262,000. All photography for eBay was kindly provided free of charge by Norwich-based NIQ Brandbank.
