The ‘Shaun in the City’ charity auction took place in Bristol last night, with the 120 individually-designed sculptures of Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep raising an incredible £1,087,900.
The auction - which included a creation by former Newport Pagnell-based artist Sunny Warrington - was hosted by TV presenter and Sotheby’s auctioneer Tim Wonnacott, who oversaw a packed room of excited bidders and invited guests. Bids were also taken online, and the auction was streamed live over the internet for fans worldwide to tune in.
Among the lots were sculptures designed by celebrities, artists and world-renowned brands, including supermodel David Gandy, fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, Cath Kidston, Hello Kitty, Paddington Bear, DreamWorks Animation, and Wallace & Gromit’s creator, Nick Park.
The sculpture that raised the highest amount was ‘Globetrotter’ by Sarah Matthews, which featured on the London trail. After an intense bidding war, ‘Globetrotter’ was finally sold for £28,000.
‘Sparkles the Unicorn’ by Emily Golden (sold for £25,000), ‘Starstruck’ by ‘Shaun the Sheep the Movie’ director, Richard Starzak (£24,000) and ‘Shaun on the Cob’ by Katie Wallis (£20,000) were also highly sought-after. Nick Park’s ‘Baaack to the Drawing Board’ sold for £21,000.
Sunny's Bee-Dazzled (top)was sold for a tidy £12,000.
Nicola Masters, director, Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation, said, “We are over the moon that our ‘Shaun in the City’ auction has raised such an incredible amount for The Grand Appeal and Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Charity.
“Our trails in London and Bristol this year attracted interest on a global scale, and we’d like to thank every single bidder for their support.”
Nicola Masters continued, “Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Charity has funded almost 300 projects to date, from child-friendly ward improvements and play therapy to state-of-the-art equipment and counselling for families. The funds raised by our London sculptures will help us do even more to enhance the lives of young patients at hospitals all around the country.
“The Grand Appeal will use the money raised by the 70 Bristol sculptures will be used to continue the funding of pioneering lifesaving equipment and family accommodation for sick children and their families at Bristol Children’s Hospital and neonatal intensive care unit.”
