A guitar belonging to Robert Smith from goth-rockers The Cure has raised £22,000 for charity.

The singer signed the black acoustic Schecter before donating it to Amaze, which supports parents of children with special needs and abilities.

The Brighton and Hove-based charity put the guitar up for auction at a pre-Christmas entertainment memorabilia sale at Bonham’s in London this week.

The guitar, used on their world tour, is inlaid with a stars and moon motif and included lyrics for a song.

It received interest from all over the world and the bids came flooding in.

The winning bid of £22,000 came from the US.

One bidder at the sale said: “It was the most coveted item of the day and it started an exhilarating bidding war. Great result for a great charity.”

A spokesman for Amaze said: “We are sincerely grateful to Robert for this valuable contribution, which far exceeded our fundraising expecta- tions. £22,000 is an incredible amount, which will make a massive difference to our small charity and will mean we can support more local families with disabled children.

“We also can’t put a price on the increased interest and profile for Amaze, which in turn will generate more money.”

Celebrity support for the charity is continuing, with TV presenter and Amaze patron Annabel Giles donating the Australian bush hat she recently wore on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

The star, from Brighton, got all 12 celebrities who took part in the show to sign the hat, including eventual winner Kian Egan from Westlife.

The hat was available to buy on ebay until yesterday (Saturday) afternoon.

Amaze gives information, advice and help and works to empower par- ents to expect and get the best for their children.

It also supports families through the emotional and practical demands of getting the right services in finance, education, healthcare and leisure.