Rare Beatles photo one of the star attractions in on-line charity auction

Nowhere Man - the sleeping man pictured with The Beatles has never been traced. Picture: TOM MURRAY Lucy Taylor Photography

A rare photograph of the Beatles which saw the Fab Four pose with an unsuspecting man sleeping on a park bench is among the star lots of a Suffolk-based global online auction which is set to break the £1million mark.

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The Ultimate Charity Auction, which ends at 4pm tomorrow, has attracted glittering prizes from household names in sport, celebrity and lifestyle.

Among the perfect presents and money-can’t-buy experiences is a chance to own a rare collection of Beatles images donated by renowned photographer Tom Murray.

Included in the imagery is a photo entitled ‘Nowhere Man’ which captures a gentleman asleep on a bench, unaware that he is surrounded by – and then photographed with – John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Tom, who took the photo as part of his ‘Mad Day Out’ series of Beatles images in the summer of 1968, said: “We were taking photos in the park near St Pancras Station when we came across this man asleep. The boys were all in a great mood and thought it would be funny to stage this photo without ever waking him up.

“I tried to find the man a few years ago but I have never been able to trace him, so I have never known whether he realises how close he was to the Fab Four.”

The photographs are considered by experts to be the very best colour images from that day with the set completed by ‘Martha My Dear’, ‘Flower Power 2’, Ready, Steady, Go’ and ‘Untitled 2’.

The Suffolk-based online auction, spearheaded by campaigner and fundraiser Gina Long MBE, was initially named in honour of Sir Bobby Robson, the former Ipswich Town and England manager, before it extended its support to more charities.

Mrs Long said: “The Ultimate Charity Auction has always captured the imagination of both donors and those bidding on the fantastic money-can’t-buy prizes.

“We are on course for another fantastic auction raising thousands of pounds for some very worthwhile causes.

“We would urge people to help us spread the word as money raised from the auction will really make a difference to the lives of the people we support.”

This year’s auction will support the League Manager Association Charity – In The Game, and the GeeWizz charitable foundation, which is also run by Mrs Long.

This year’s star items also include a meet-and-greet with Sir Alex Ferguson in his private lounge at Old Trafford, a chance to star in the next instalment of Football Manager or record your own single in a renowned Buckinghamshire recording studio.

Other fantastic include front row seats and lunch with Jeremy Kyle, a VIP experience for four people at the Badminton Horse Trials and a Sky Sports Gillette Soccer Saturday experience.

All prizes for the event, can be viewed at www.charitystars.com/ultimatecharityauction.