A DARLINGTON charity shop is holding an auction to raise money for the elderly.

Age Concern, in Woodland Road, Cockerton, will auction a limited-edition tapestry on Saturday.

The tapestry, which is about 16 by 24 inches and framed, is made from wool and was imported from Madeira.

It was donated to the shop by one of the charity's volunteers, Doreen Watson.

She said: "I had quite an obsession with tapestries at one time and made over 100.

"This particular one comes from Madeira and has been very well made from special wool and is of artist Gainsborough's well-known portrait, Pinky.

"Unlike many tapestries that have been taken from a print, this was made by a group of women sitting in front of a copy of the painting and doing one stitch at a time." Shop manager Jill Payne said: "We get many unusual things through our door, but this is of such high quality that we thought it was best to sell it through an auction and raise as much money as we can.

"Anyone who wishes to take part should come into the shop and fill in one of our forms with their name, number and bid. Every day we are going to display the highest bid next to the picture so people know what the target is."

The auction will run for two weeks and the winner will be announced on Saturday, October 1.