EDINBURGH.-The niece of a celebrated senior aid worker who was killed in the Asian tsunami has convinced more than 300 artists and musicians, including Sir Paul McCartney, David Hockney and Charlotte Church, to donate their artwork for a charity auction.

Work by artists such as Damien Hirst, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Tracy Emin and Antony Gormley will appear alongside contributions from actors Liz Hurley and Bill Nighy, the novelist Joanna Trollope, Sol Campbell the footballer and the music group Kings of Leon. Each has responded to a letter from Daisy Bell, a 20-year-old psychology student, asking for them to fill a blank postcard with their art, or where that was beyond them, their doodlings.

The process began in March when Daisy recruited the help of two university friends, Marianna Chidley and Mary Ramsden. They wanted to hold a student art exhibition but Daisy hit on the blank postcard idea.

My name is Daisy Bell. I am a student at Edinburgh University. With the help of two friends Mary Ramsden and Marianna Chidley I am organising an Art Exhibition to be held in Edinburgh at the end of September.

My uncle, Robin Needham was killed in the tsunami on Boxing Day last year. His death naturally caused my family immense grief but it was his loss to the International Aid and Development world that has inspired me to take on this charity project. Robin worked for CARE International for 25 years helping a great number of third world countries and was director of CARE-Nepal when he was killed. It is ironic that he was taken from us in the world’s biggest natural disaster when he would have been in his element helping.

We have sent a single plain postcard (approx: 5 ½” by 3 ½”) and a SAE to many established artists, writers, musicians, actors and celebrities. These will be shown in the CARE Exhibition, priced, and then sold by either email auction - closing date for the on-line auction is 6.00pm Monday 3rd October - or at the Opening on 30th September by catalogue/representative only. All proceeds will go towards the fund set up in the name of Robin Needham with CARE International UK. Robin was the first director of CARE Britain and helped to form and establish this branch of CARE in 1988.

Through this project we hope to raise enough money to help in specific villages that were destroyed by the tsunami. We have been assured by the charity that all money raised will go directly to these areas affected by the disaster; any leftover funds will go to help in the Third World..

Already over 200 works have been returned, including postcards from so many wonderful people and artists it's hard to single out any, but including Sir Paul McCartney, David Hockney, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst , Nigel Havers, Charlotte Church, Loyd Grossman, The Kings of Leon, David Linley, Gail Porter , Mario Testino ,Theo Fennell, Antony Gormley RA, Norman Ackroyd RA, Professor Chris Orr RA, Dr.Elizabeth Blackadder RA, Mario Testino, The Chapman Brothers and Graham Rust -- see the above link to the Artists List and click on the picture above to see the artwork.