A VIP charity auction boss, who rubbed shoulders with the stars, has abruptly shut down his firm – leaving thousands of charities owed thousands.
Good 2 Auction boss, Alan Lambert, has been pictured with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Geri Halliwell and Harry Kane at glamorous soirées.
However the sudden collapse of his fundraising company has sent several charities into meltdown, with one children’s hospice owed a staggering £30,000.
People bidding on the lavish experiences and items at glitzy gala dinners have also been impacted, with one woman jetting to Monaco to discover her VIP grand prix yacht trip was no more.
A distressed charity boss confessed to The Sun that they were at their ‘wit’s end’ and unsure of ‘where to turn’.
A VIP charity auction boss, Alan Lamber (pictured left) who rubbed shoulders with the stars, has abruptly shut down his firm – leaving thousands of charities owed thousands.
The sudden collapse of his fundraising company Good 2 Auction has sent several charities into meltdown, with one children’s hospice owed a staggering £30,000 (pictured: Anthony Joshua and Alan Lambert)
They explained how much of a ‘major boost’ receiving the money from a successful gala dinner organised by Good 2 Auction.
They said: ‘Donations are the lifeblood of charities like ours and we simply can’t function without the support and goodwill of donors.’
Good 2 Auction had been organising and running ‘silent auctions’ at lavish fundraising events since 2019.
The organisation would ensure the prizes nabbed at auction, which included sport mementos as well as swanky VIP luxury getaways.
Lambert was no stranger to the glamorous celebrity world, having mingled with the likes of F1 boss Christian Horner, famed football manager, Harry Redknapp, and TV host Vernon Kay during his time at charity auctions.
He even was in the presence of Chelsea legend, John Terry, broadcast journalist, Kate Garraway, famed TV presenter, Rylan Clark as well as royal husband Mark Tindall.
Amongst his long roster of celebrities he rubbed shoulders with also includes, world-renowned ex-footballers, Ashley Cole, Peter Crouch, and Ian Write, as well as boxing icon, Franko Bruno.
Good 2 Auction promised charities that all profits raised would go directly to good causes.
But money raised from events held in recent months have reportedly not been handed over to said good causes.
Bidders have also come forward to disclose that lavish ‘experience’ prizes had not been fulfilled.
Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice reported they were owed ‘at least £30,000’ from the collapsed fundraising firm.
One charity boss said they didn’t know ‘where to turn’ after the company which reportedly owed them large donations collapsed (pictured: Alan Lambert, Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner)
The hospice, which is responsible for the care of 350 children, will reportedly be seriously impacted.
Garden House Hospice Care has also reportedly been hit by the organisation’s downfall.
According to The Sun, the hospice which treats terminally ill individuals in North Hertfordshire was trying to obtain £31,000 in donations from Good 2 Auction.
MailOnline has approached Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice and Garden House Hospice Care for comment.
The Seashell Trust, which is a national charity that provides support to both young adults and children with complex disabilities, confirmed to MailOnline that they were owed £22,000 by the firm.
Marie Travers, Director of Fundraising, Marketing, and Communications at Seashell, said: ‘We worked with Good 2 Auction for our recent fundraising ball. This is the first time we have worked with the organisation, having received very positive recommendations from other reputable charities.
‘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 in some ways 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.
‘We have already contacted the donors affected; however, we’d also like to emphasise that any Seashell supporters who have concerns or questions are welcome to contact us too.’
However, it isn’t only good causes that have been impacted by the company’s collapse so too are those who donated in good faith.
Businesswoman, Sally Alington, 45, attended a fundraising event at the Londoner in Leicester Square last November.
In a silent auction, orchestrated by Good 2 Auction, she placed a bit of £11,000 bagging herself four prizes including a VIP yacht trip to visit the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo.
She forked out around £2,000 in flights and a hotel only to arrive at her yacht to discover no one had paid for the yacht.
Seashell Trust confirmed to MailOnline that they were owed £22,000 in donations from Good 2 Auction (pictured: Alan Lambert and Bradley Walsh)
However it wasn’t only charities left in the dust, trusting donors also were left with prizes which weren’t honoured
Revealing she was ‘upset and angry’ that there was no prize to be had, the customer experience consultant attempted to get in touch with Good 2 Auction only to be told they had ceased trading.
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’.
In disbelief, Sally 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, Alan Lambert had six companies registered under his name.
Five of the six companies for which he is registered as managing director were struck off without filing accounts.
Lambert, who resides in a £1.2 million 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 brags about 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.
The fundraising firm’s website has also been deleted from the internet as well as several of Lambert’s social media pages.
In a now deleted web-page, Lambert boasted about having over 15 years experience in the charity auction and hospitality sector and he even wrote one piece advising the best ways on raising money for charity.
Lambert’s other companies have also to registered addresses in London, Scotland and Hertfordshire as addresses of correspondence.
MailOnline has made several attempts to contact Alan Lambert and Good 2 Auction via phone and email and social media.
When MailOnline attempted to phone Good 2 Auction for comment, we were met with a message that the company had ceased trading.
Alan Lambert has also since deactivated several of his public facing social media accounts.
