Giant rat sculpture trail to honour Mick Ronson

Mick Ronson died of cancer in 1993 aged 46

Fifty giant rat sculptures are to appear next summer to honour Spiders From Mars guitarist Mick Ronson.

The six foot (1.8m) tall statues will form an arts trail across Hull and East Yorkshire ahead of the 80th anniversary of his birth in 1946.

Mick Ronson joined British rock band The Rats in 1966 before he rose to fame as David Bowie's lead guitarist. He died of cancer in 1993 aged 46.

Organisers said they hoped to raise up to £250,000 for "cutting-edge research" into the disease.

Project co-director Rick Welton said the sculptures would be auctioned to raise money for research into cancer, heart disease and dementia

The Mischief of Rats sculpture trail is expected to be installed in April 2025 and open to the public in May 2025 for three months.

It follows previous similar projects including Larkin with Toads, A Moth for Amy and Puffins Galore.

One of the project directors, Rick Welton, said: “This is the most radical animal sculpture trail yet.”

He said the project was looking for businesses to sponsor the sculptures as part of the fundraising, which will culminate in a charity auction at the end of the trail.

"[It] will raise much needed funds to support the vital work of the Castle Hill Hospital based charity, The Daisy Appeal, which helps advanced and detailed detection of cancer, heart disease and dementia through highly advanced PET-CT scanning techniques,” said Mr Welton.

The Puffins Galore trail raised nearly £120,000 for charity, organisers said

He said previous art trails had "proved highly successful" and had attracted thousands of visitors to the region.

More than £60,000 had been raised for charity by the Larkin with Toads trail, while A Moth for Amy garnered £85,000. The Puffins Galore project pulled in nearly £120,000, organisers said.

Artists will be invited to submit designs for each rat sculpture later this year.

Ronson performing with David Bowie's backing band Spiders from Mars in October 1973

Ronson grew up in Hull, where he formed the band that went on to become The Spiders From Mars.

The guitarist, songwriter, arranger and producer played on influential records including Bowie's concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) and Aladdin Sane (1973).

He subsequently worked with some of the biggest names in rock including Lou Reed, Bob Dylan and Morrissey.