EXMOOR'S own explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has designed a card that will be auctioned to raise money for the MS Society.

The artwork, given to the charity Sir Ranulph, from Exford, isone of a series created by celebrities to mark the MS Society's 60th birthday.

The auction launched on eBay on Monday (December 2), the MS Society's 60th anniversary, and will be live for ten days. All the money will be spent on the MS Society's pioneering research programme.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes said: "Prince Charles is the patron of my expeditions and it was at his suggestion that I first started fundraising for the MS Society.

"An expedition in the early 1990s raised more than £4 million for the MS Society and, when the conditions were very tough, remembering the money was going towards wonderful research work kept us going.

"I'm proud to still be supporting the MS Society and hope the Cards for a Cause auction raises as much as possible for the charity's amazing research programme."

MS is a condition of the central nervous system which causes confusion in messages sent from the brain and spine. It can get steadily worse or remain unpredictable throughout life.

Most people are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s and MS affects almost three times as many women as men.

The MS Society is the leading charity for the 100,000 people living with MS in the UK. The charity funds research and fights for better treatment and care to help people with MS take back control.

Chief executive Michelle Mitchell said: "We're incredibly grateful to all the celebrities and famous names who've taken the time to design a card for the MS Society's Cards for a Cause auction.

"Every penny raised will go towards our innovative research programme. While we strive for a cure for MS we are also funding studies to slow or halt the progression of the condition as well as improving the quality of life of people affected by MS."

To bid for the cards go to

http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/mssocietyuk">www.ebay.co.uk/usr/mssocietyuk. Other famous names include Sir Roger Moore, Jamie Oliver, Olympic Gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie, Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville, Alan Shearer, Sir Chris Hoy, Lorraine Kelly, Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen, author Sophie Kinsella, Oritsé Williams from JLS and Holly Johnson from Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

For more information about MS and the MS Society go to: http://www.mssociety.org.uk">www.mssociety.org.uk.