Auctioning off the name plate from a Virgin Pendolino train with a nod to Preston is expected to raise thousands towards helping youngsters fight cancer.

Virgin Trains has announced it is going to sell the cast-iron nameplates from its fleet of trains.

The news comes as Virgin is due to be replaced as the franchise operator on the West Coast Mainline.

One of the trains is the City of Preston to have its plate auctioned.

Funds from the auction will go towards the Teenage Cancer Trust and help the mother of the late Stephen Sutton get closer to the £6million fundraising target in memory of her son.

General manager for Virgin Trains in the West Midlands, Amanda Hines, said: “We’re incredibly honoured to have had one of our Pendolinos carry Stephen’s name.

“We needed to find a good home for the original nameplate so who better to present it to than his Mum Jane, who continues to work so tirelessly raising funds for teenage cancer.

“The sale is a rare chance for someone to get their hands on a piece of railway history, so we are hopeful of raising a lot of money for Teenage Cancer Trust.”

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Stephen’s mother Jane Sutton said: “It’s been a huge honour for one of Virgin Trains Pendolinos to carry Stephen’s name.

“I really enjoy seeing people’s photos that they post on Stephen’s Facebook page when they have spotted the train on their travels on the west coast route.

“It is incredibly generous of Virgin Trains to gift me one of the original cast-iron nameplates and to auction off a further eleven, with the proceeds being donated to Teenage Cancer Trust. This will significantly boost Stephen’s fundraising total towards the £6million target that I would like to reach this year.”

How to bid in the auction

You can bid by sending a sealed bid to nameplates@virgintrains.co.uk

All bids must be in by 5pm on Friday 6 September.

Winners are being notified by email and then payments must be made direct to the Teenage Cancer Trust