� A rare signed photograph of screen legend Marilyn Monroe has been sold at auction to help raise thousands of pounds for Kentish Town Primary School.

The photograph of the Hollywood icon was taken by renowned photographer Jacques Lowe, who is best know as John F Kennedy’s personal photographer and who documented his presidential election campaign.

Thomasina Lowe, Jacques’ daughter, has children at the Kentish Town school. She was moved to make the donation because of her father’s strong belief in education and neighbourhood, which was instilled in him after being denied an education in Germany under the rule of the Nazi party.

The generous gift sold for an impressive �6,050.

Organiser Mary Carson said: “Thomasina was delighted with the sale because the photo stayed in the school community. It was bought by Jasmin Walsh who has links with the school.”

Camden based photo-journalist Dario Mitidieri also donated one of his works to the auction. A print from his Street Children of Bombay collection raised a large amount of money for the cause.

Along with the photographs, a whole range of other items and services were up for bids including a week’s worth of ironing, a fitness session with the head teacher and a meal cooked by one of the teaching assistants, which sold for �200.

The money is being raised to take the whole school to the seaside.

Ms Carson said: “For many of the students this will be more than just an enjoyable day out. For lots of the school children it will be their first ever time visiting the seaside.

“Parents and teachers at the school have really got behind the whole idea.”

Organisers said they were gobsmacked at raising �10,250 – 10 times more than the annual summer fair raises.

The money is more than enough to take all the children to the sea and the school is now taking suggestions from parents about how to spend the remaining money.