Elephant trail statues sell for more than £170k

A group of 30 painted elephant statues have been sold at auction for more than £170,000.

The moulded fibreglass herd spent two months on display at outdoor locations in west Dorset as part of a family trail.

They were sold by Weldmar Hospicecare, with some of the money going to the statues' manufacturer Wild In Art.

An anonymous buyer paid the top price of £25,000 for an elephant called Sanctuary, painted with images of wildlife and plants.

Weldmar's chief operating officer Matt Smith said: "This project has been such an ambitious project for the team and it's just been so nice to end on such a high.

"We've got to shift them all today to their new homes and then we'll start thinking about what the next thing is."

The charity placed more than 50 elephants, painted by different artists, at locations in Bridport, Lyme Regis and West Bay in March.

Sanctuary, which was stationed outside Weldmar's charity shop in Bridport, was painted by Nicola Dennis who said it was inspired by her love of nature.

Another statue, featuring images of Dorset figures ranging from author Thomas Hardy to BBC Radio Solent presenter Steve Harris, fetched £20,000.

Derbyshire firm Wild In Art has created statues for trails around the country, with most of the figures being sold for good causes.

Managing Director Charlie Langhorne said: "They end up in gardens, private houses and corporate venues. Some have even been donated back to the hospices.

"We think we've raised about 27 and a half million pounds so far."

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