TV gardener, presenter and author Alan Titchmarsh is among a host of famous faces who have put pen to paper to take part in this year’s National Doodle Day.

His doodle will be auctioned on eBay, along with dozens of celebrity scribbles, from Friday, March 7 – National Doodle Day. The auction will raise money for national charity Epilepsy Action, which is based in Yeadon.

The Ilkley-born celebrity has been joined by household names including journalist Sir Michael Parkinson, actor Bill Nighy, author Jackie Collins and comedian John Bishop in doodling for the annual event, which is supported by Dodo Pad, publishers of the original family ‘doodle’ diary, aims to get as many people doodling as possible.

The event raises money to help support the 50,000 people across Yorkshire with epilepsy.

More than 1,200 celebrities, including TV cook Mary Berry, actress Joanna Lumley, singer Rita Ora and model Sophie Dahl have taken part in National Doodle Day since it began 11 years ago.

The public can also get in on the act by creating their own masterpiece and donating a pound to Epilepsy Action. There will be prizes for the best doodlers, including arts and crafts vouchers and custom-made 3D doodles.

Philippa Cartwright, fundraising events manager at Epilepsy Action said: “Every year we are overwhelmed with the positive support that we receive from celebrities and members of the public alike.

“The celebrity doodle auction is always a terrific success, raising thousands of pounds in much-needed funds for Epilepsy Action. The highest-grossing doodle ever raised £1,600 alone, so this event really does make a huge difference to people with epilepsy and their families.”

Information on the National Doodle Day celebrity auction and competition can be found at nationaldoodleday.org.uk.

The auction will run from Friday, March 7, to Sunday, March 16. The closing date for entries into the National Doodle Day competition is Friday, April 4.

Epilepsy affects around one in every 100 people in the UK alone and 87 people are diagnosed with the condition every day.

Each year Epilepsy Action directly helps around one million people through a range of services, including its Epilepsy Helpline freephone 0808 800 5050, branch network, specialist nurse scheme and award-winning website, epilepsy.org.uk.