Christmas Appeal: Bid for more exclusive presents

Behind the scenes at the Emmerdale village

They are among 50 exciting gifts and experiences - many of which money cannot normally buy - which have been donated by local businesses to help raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society and help it to support the 58,000 people with dementia in the region.

The ITV soap is offering two people a glimpse behind the scenes of the fictional Dales village at its set in Harewood, near Leeds, which is not usually open to the public. The tour also includes lunch.

A free-range, pasture-fed red deer venison, donated by Tatefield Farm in Harrogate, is also being auctioned - ideal for keeping guests fed throughout the festive season. The meat, weighing around 50kg, will be delivered to Hutchinsons Butchers in Ripley for the highest bidder to collect.

Other gourmet goodies include a bespoke celebration cake from the Timble Tea and Dinner Service and a seasonal selection of fresh vegetables delivered to your door for a year from Riverford Home Farm in Newby Wiske.

For more gifts that keep on giving, you could also treat a loved one to a year’s National Trust or Yorkshire Agricultural Society membership.

Valid for an individual, a couple or a family, the National Trust membership gives entry to more than 300 historic buildings across the country including gems such as Fountains Abbey near Ripon and Nostell Priory near Wakefield.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society membership, valid for two people, includes tickets to the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate on July 8, 9 and 10 next year, as well as sister event Countryside Live on October 18 and 19.

It also gives access to the best car parking, exclusive dining areas and the members’ area of the main ring grandstand.

The VIP experience continues with the chance to bid on a chauffeur-driven, 250-mile round trip in a luxury Mercedes, courtesy of Oakdale Executive of Harrogate.

Jet-setters can also bid on a pair of flight tickets to one of 50 European destinations courtesy of Jet2 and Leeds Bradford International Airport, including free parking and access to the Yorkshire Premier Lounge.

A photoshoot with Jude Palmer, who is set to be the behind-the-scenes photographer of the Grand Depart in Yorkshire next year, is also being auctioned.

And insight into the job of the journalists who will report on the opening stages of the 2014 Tour de France is also going under the hammer as the Yorkshire Post offers one reader the chance to spend a day as a sports writer, covering the triumphs and woes of the region’s top teams.

New lots will be announced every week until Saturday, December 7. The money raised for the Alzheimer’s Society will go directly to help people in Yorkshire who are affected by dementia, helping to fund local services such as the charity’s Singing for the Brain choir groups and dementia cafes.

Alzheimer’s Society chief executive Jeremy Hughes said: “We are delighted the Yorkshire Post has chosen to support our work in its Christmas Appeal 2013.

“The money raised will fund services providing direct help to people living with dementia and their carers in Yorkshire.”

This year’s appeal is sponsored by Leeds law firm Clarion, which regularly works with the charity’s service users to advise them on legal issues dementia patients and their families may face.

Managing partner Mark Burns said: “By sponsoring this charity we at Clarion are doing our little bit to reinforce our commitment to the fight against dementia.”

The auction is being managed again this year by Harrogate-based Cicada Communications.

Managing director Di Burton said: “Dementia is a huge issue or us all and we applaud the work of the Alzheimer’s Society in providing such vital services in Yorkshire for people with dementia and their families.

“I’d urge everyone to get behind this year’s auction and provide as much support as they can.”

• View this week’s auctions and bid now