Shaun the Sheep trail raises £385,000 for hospice

The Shaun sculptures raised nearly £400,000 for Martlets Hospice

Brighton and Hove's Shaun the Sheep trail has raised over £385,000 for a local hospice.

The 42 statues, all decorated by local artists, have been dotted around the city since September to create a charity trail.

On Monday they were auctioned at the Corn Exchange to raise funds for Martlets Hospice in East Sussex, with one selling for £25,000.

DJ Fatboy Slim, who launched the trail, said it felt like "journey's end".

The star, whose real name is Norman Cook, visited all 42 statues on foot in a single day.

He also played a DJ set before the auction.

"Obviously I've grown attached to Shaun" he said, "and seeing it all come to fruition, this just feels like journey's end.

He said a sheep from his cafe would be the "hardest" one to say goodbye to but was the one he wanted to raise the most money.

The trail was launched in September by Brighton DJ Norman Cook

Tanya Hunt, from the hospice, said they had to raise £7m every year to keep the hospice care services open and running, so the money would go a long way to making that happen.

"It means we can look after the patients and make sure they don't have to face death, dying and bereavement on their own.

"It's been such a privilege and a pleasure to watch it unfold," she said, adding that a Shaun farewell weekend at the Brighton Centre saw over 7,000 people visit the sheep.

Each sheep was decorated by a different local artist

Faye Bridgewater, from Brighton, was one of the artists who decorated the statues.

She said: "I'm selling it a bit, I'm standing there and saying 'do you want to know anything about my sheep?'

"You want it to raise as much funds for the charity as possible."

The hospice also benefited from a trail of painted snowdogs in 2016 and snails in 2018.