Pottering about

Ten-year-old Elsa Dobell, of Hatch Warren, Basingstoke, became the envy of millions of children and adults alike when her parents, Tracy, 40, and Graham, 43, bid £2,500 for the tour in an auction on local radio station 2-TEN FM.

The auction was organised to raise funds for the charity Give A Child A Chance, run by The Berkshire Community Fund.

Elsa was accompanied to the film set by her parents and her 19-year-old sister Emma.

Mrs Dobell said: "We had a brilliant time. The best bit was Elsa's face when she first realised it was Hermione and Harry - she just couldn't talk.

"We didn't realise how much went into making the film until we saw it."

Filming for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is still in progress at the Warner Bros studios in Leavesden, Watford, and Elsa is one of the few children to have first-hand knowledge of how the movie is made.

She said: "It was really good. I met Harry and Hermione, but we didn't see Ron, who's my favourite.

"I was really surprised to go to the set and the first thing I saw was a blue room with Harry on a broomstick, playing Quid-ditch.

"I also met Hermione, who asked me my name and why I was there, and I shook hands with Harry.

"We saw the animals from the movie, such as the owls, Hermione's cat and Ron's rat, as well as Diagon Alley and the huge snake from the second film.

"I also met the director and props manager, who actually cleans Harry's glasses."

Guy Harris, a member of the 2-TEN FM Morning Crew, helped organise the Harry Potter-themed auction with a friend from the film industry, Kevin Welch.

He said: "Kevin is a rigging co-ordinator on the Harry Potter movies, so he helps make Harry fly.

"Our auction, to support the charity Give A Child A Chance, is popular because it gives people the opportunity to bid for things that money can't usually buy."

For more information about Give A Child A Chance, contact grants officer Jenny Wade on 0118 930 3021.