Stars put sparkle into Christmas cards

Ewan McGregor, Sir Ian McKellen and Jamie Oliver are among the stars who have created these Christmas cards for charity.

Hulk star Eric Bana has drawn a Christmas scene more familiar in his Australian homeland than in the UK - a figure sunbathing on a hot beach.

Humorist Stephen Fry has sketched a Santa Claus with a sackfull of goodies, while ballet dancer Darcy Bussell has simply depicted a Christmas hat.

EastEnders star Pam St Clement, who plays Pat, has depicted a large pair of lips and earrings, a look seen on her soap character.

Novelist Jilly Cooper has drawn a Robin with the word Noel in a speech bubble.
Actor Michael Gambon has sketched a grumpy looking Santa Claus with the words Father Christmas After Paying the Congestion Charge.

The one-off, hand-drawn cards, have been created by figures from the worlds of sport, film and entertainment and will go under the hammer to raise cash for cot death research.

Other celebrities to contribute to the project, organised by the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths, include Countdown host Carol Vorderman, comic Frank Skinner and Turner Prize winning artist Grayson Perry.

Cards by Helena Bonham Carter, Kenneth Branagh, Robbie Coltrane, Joanna Lumley, Emma Thompson and former TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh will also go under the hammer.

They will be auctioned on November 15 at Kensington Town Hall, west London.
There are 355 cot deaths a year in the UK. It is the leading cause of death in babies over the age of a month old.