Fans of a legendary singer-songwriter from Prestwich are raising funds to save his belongings from auction.

A haul of items belonging to Mark E Smith, the late frontman of indie rock band The Fall are set to be auctioned off in September.

The collection, listed by auction house Omega, includes lyrics and setlists handwritten by the singer.

Now, a fan of the band is raising money to buy the items and if successful he will donate them to the borough’s archive service.

On his JustGiving page, Adam Spencer, 58, says he hopes to purchase as many of the 19 items listed on the auction page as possible.

He said: “The items are being sold individually, which means the collection is likely to be split up.

“Material will probably end up in the hands of private individuals and might be 'lost' to the people of Bury - possibly forever.”

Mark E Smith formed The Fall in 1976 and lived in Prestwich until his death from cancer aged 60 in 2018.

Council archivist Ian Johnston, 51, says if the council can acquire the collection, it will ensure the memorabilia’s long-term preservation and accessibility.

He said: “The Fall have a large following and there are people across the world who are fans and might come along and purchase something, which in itself isn’t an issue but once its gone to an archive you’re guaranteeing that it will be looked accessible and looked after forever.

“The Fall were a big band, and an indie band so they had quite a niche following, and I don’t think many people, until recently at least, were aware of the connection with Prestwich and with Bury so that’s another reason for us to showcase that.”

Ian says he would love to exhibit the collection in Prestwich Library where Smith was a well-known figure.

“I never saw him unfortunately but I know loads of people who did see him, and he was quite a well-known face in the area, people who’ve lived here longer than I have were definitely used to seeing him out and about."

Adam Spencer’s fundraiser is looking to raise £4,000 before the auction on Tuesday, September 13.

Even if the archive can only purchase some of the items Ian says he would most love to have Smith’s “expressly unique” hand-written lyrics.

He hopes to appeal to fans of the band to help the fundraiser reach its goal.

Ian added: “Its about making sure they know about this fundraising activity, hopefully some of them will stump up a bit of money and we’ll be in a position to buy as many as we can.”