Toilet rolls auctioned to pay culture trust's debts

The 12 months when Coventry held the title of City of Culture saw aerial displays, musical performances and theatre

Packs of jumbo toilet rolls are are among items to be auctioned after the Coventry City of Culture Trust went into administration.

They are among nearly 400 items being sold to try and cover debts.

Coventry held the title of City of Culture in 2021. It entered administration in February meaning a three-year legacy programme could not go ahead.

Creditors include Coventry City Council which is owed £1.6m.

The Assembly Festival group, which ran the popular Assembly Festival Gardens attraction, is owed nearly £1.5m.

Other items up for sale on an online auction website include an electric fly killer machine, a defibrillator and two signed rugby shirts.

Laptops, computer monitors, microwaves and fridges have also been listed along with merchandise from the Reel Store and the City of Culture year.

Digital gallery Reel Store closed after 10 months due to the trust’s collapse.

The city's 12 months reign was delayed by the Covid pandemic but saw aerial displays, musical performances and theatre before it concluded with the Radio 1's Big Weekend.

Calls for a public inquiry into the trust’s collapse have been made by leaders at the council in a formal letter to the government.

The National Audit Office and Charity Commission have launched investigations into the trust’s finances, and administrators are conducting their own inquiry.

Jumbo packs of toilet rolls are among the items being auctioned

A government-led inquiry has been called for by the local authority after the collapse.

Both the National Audit Office and the Charity Commission have launched probes into the trust’s finances while administrators have been conducting their own investigations.