THE first bid has been made for a signed England football which is being auctioned through the Evening Advertiser to raise funds for youngsters suffering from a rare skin condition.

Swindon Town fan Alan Cottrell has offered £100 for the ball, which was sent to nine-month-old Bradley Puschnik by the Football Association after his parents wrote to England manager Kevin Keegan.

Bradley, of Marney Road, Grange Park, suffers from dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, commonly known as EB, which causes the skin to blister after the slightest friction.

His parents, Clair Humphries and Mark Puschnik, want to raise money for DEBRA, the charity which supports the disease.

Alan, a 56-year-old landscape gardener, who has three-year-old triplet daughters and a 20-year-old son named after Kevin Keegan, his football hero, said he had been touched by Bradley's story.

Bidders should write, including their name, address, daytime telephone number and their bid, to Sheryl Crouch, Marketing Dept, at the Adver address, or e-mail her at scrouch@newswilts.co.uk

Envelopes should be marked Signed England Football. The closing date is July 17.