THE Lyford Cay International School this year celebrates its 50th anniversary and many celebratory events are being held to both raise funds to expand and upgrade facilities, and to mark the important milestone.

One such event was the gala dinner and fundraising auction at the Sheraton Hotel on Cable Beach.

Guests sipped champagne and viewed the 130 silent auction items which included a 19-foot Boston Whaler, a Yamaha Scooter, Astengo & de Lama jewellery, fine wines and champagnes, a trip to the NBC studios for the Tonight Show, and local and international spa days, vacation packages and trips.

With the event funded almost entirely by sponsors, nearly every dollar raised during the silent and verbal auctions benefitted the students, event organisers said.

The event was a sell-out with tables for 10 people costing $10,000. Guests enjoyed entertainment by the Lyford Cay School students and a buffet-style dinner.

In the 50 years since E P Taylor founded the Lyford Cay School, it has become a lynch-pin of New Providence's western community and one of only 191 fully accredited International Baccalaureate schools in the world.