by Martin Jefferies

Art lovers bid in an auction with a difference on Margate's new Harbour Arm Gallery on Saturday.

Around 100 postcard-sized prints, including one by the town's celebrated artist Tracey Emin, went under the hammer.

Bidders were able to examine the colourful works beforehand but were not told which artist was behind each painting until every lot had been sold.

The concept is similar to the Royal College of Art's annual Secret Postcard Sale, set up by a student of the London university in 1994.

Saturday's anonymous auction, which also featured work by Ramsgate-born BAFTA-winning actress Brenda Blethyn OBE, raised £7,000 for Nicole's Fund for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Emin's work - which was recognised by several art enthusiasts - fetched £500. It is believed to be the first time the 46-year-old Turner Prize nominee has exhibited work in her home town.

Event organiser Fiona Sherriff said: "It was a great opportunity to spot work by a famous name and potentially bag a bargain. It was also a chance to invest in a piece by an emerging artist or to simply find something eye-catching, with all proceeds going to a great charity."

Nicole's Fund was set up by Nicole Dryburgh who was diagnosed with a rare form of the disease nine years ago.

The brave 20-year-old hopes to raise £100,000 to build a dedicated unit for young patients at The Royal Marsden Hospital, Surrey, which has helped her through intensive courses of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

The room will be equipped with an electric bed, special mood lighting, a music system and a plasma TV, as well as a parents' bed and an en-suite bathroom.