A VIP charity auctioneer who rubbed elbows with celebrities has abruptly closed his business, leaving thousands of organizations unpaid thousands of dollars.
Alan Lambert, director of Good 2 Auction, has attended prestigious events alongside celebrities such as Anthony Joshua, Geri Halliwell, and Harry Kane.
However, the unexpected failure of his fundraising company has left several charities reeling, with one children’s hospice owing a whopping £30,000.
People bidding on extravagant experiences and products at flashy gala dinners have also been affected, with one woman flying to Monaco only to discover that her VIP grand prix yacht trip had been cancelled.
A distressed charity leader told the Sun that they were at their wit’s end and didn’t know where to turn.
The unexpected failure of his fundraising enterprise Good 2 Auction has driven numerous charities into disarray, with one children’s hospice owed a staggering £30,000 (pictured: Anthony Joshua and Alan Lambert).
They described how much of a’major lift’ they expected to gain from a successful gala dinner hosted by Good 2 Auction.
They stated: “Donations are the lifeblood of charities like ours, and we simply cannot function without the support and goodwill of donors.”
Since 2019, Good 2 Auction has organised and run’silent auctions’ at opulent fundraising events, with charity promising money raised if items sell for more than the minimum bid amount.
Lambert was no stranger to the glossy celebrity world, having attended charity auctions alongside F1 CEO Christian Horner, football manager Harry Redknapp, and TV host Vernon Kay.
He was also seen with Chelsea icon John Terry, television presenters Kate Garraway and Rylan Clark, and former England rugby star Mark Tindall.
Among the many superstars he met were former footballers Ashley Cole, Peter Crouch, and Ian Wright, as well as ex-world boxing heavyweight champion Frank Bruno.
Good 2 Auction claimed to donate all revenues to charity, but recent events have yet to receive funds.
Bidders have also come forward, revealing that extravagant ‘experience’ awards were not supplied.
Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice reported being due ‘at least £30,000’.
The hospice, which provides for 350 children, would appear to be seriously affected.
The demise of the organization appears to have had an impact on Garden House Hospice Care as well.
According to The Sun, the hospice, which treats terminally ill patients in North Hertfordshire, hoped to raise £31,000 through the Good 2 Auction.
Carla Pilsworth, Director of Income Generation at Garden House Hospice Care, said, “As a charity, Garden House Hospice Care relies heavily on donations from supporters to keep our specialist palliative and end-of-life care services running.” Our costs have risen by 19% in the last year alone, amounting to £7.7 million annually.
‘This means we have to raise £15,300 in charitable income every single day. Raising this money is a huge challenge, especially in the current cost of living crisis, so to be faced with an incident like this is really upsetting for us.
‘We pride ourselves in running prestigious fundraising events and have previously worked with Good 2 Auction in the past with no issues at all. Sadly, following our Gala Dinner in March this year it was a different story.
‘We have outstanding balances left to be paid by the now dissolved company. This will have a negative impact on our charitable income by tens of thousands of pounds this year.
‘When we found out that Good 2 Auction had ceased trading, our main concern was with our valued supporters who attended our Gala Dinner.
Many of which had placed successful bids on the night, parting with their money in aid of the care we provide to never receive the prizes they were promised.
We are currently working with our supporters to ensure they are reimbursed for the money they have personally lost through their banks and credit card providers.
‘Unfortunately for Garden House Hospice Care, the impact of this devastating event is likely to hit us hard financially.’
The Seashell Trust, a national charity that provides support to young adults and children with complex disabilities, confirmed that they were owed £22,000 by the firm.
Seashell Trust confirmed to MailOnline that they were owed £22,000 in donations from Good 2 Auction (pictured: Alan Lambert and Bradley Walsh)
She then received an email which said the company’s director would reach out to her and told Sally she could purchase other packages at ‘a hugely discounted rate’.
She told the Sun: ‘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.’
According to Companies House, Mr Lambert had six companies registered under his name.
Nine of the seven companies for which he is registered as managing director were struck off without filing accounts.
Lambert, said to live in a £1.2million North London mansion, was the managing director and sole shareholder in each company.
As of May 21, Good 2 Auction released a statement on its website saying the firm had ceased trading,
However, the fundraising company’s status on Companies House continues to be ‘active’.
Good 2 Auction accounts filed in March 2023 implied the company owed creditors £695,414.
But at the time the firm only had assets totalling to £545,045, meaning they were short by £110,369.
As of May 21, Good 2 Auction released a statement on its website saying the firm had ceased trading – however their company continues to remain active on Companies House
MailOnline attempted to contact Alan Lambert and Good 2 Auction via phone and email but were met with a message that the company had ceased trading
On a LinkedIn account – which remained active – Good 2 Auction describes working with Help for Heroes, the James Milner Foundation, Cancer Research, Dame Kelly Homes Foundation, Macmillan Support, Asthma UK, Action Medical Research and the Willow Foundation.