Auction of East Yorkshire artist's sculptures will benefit hospices

Helen Skelton's sculptures feature animals and plants

More than 50 sculptures from a Bridlington artist are to be auctioned to raise funds for a hospice charity.

Helen Skelton, who died last year, left the artworks to Marie Curie, which provides care for terminally ill people.

The 55 abstract wooden sculptures of animals and plants range from a table to items 6ft (1.8m) high.

Auctioneer Will Duggleby said the works had "been attracting considerable interest ahead of the auction".

"Helen Skelton's story is both surprising and inspiring," he said.

"Whilst she painted and drew throughout her life, she was almost 50 when she turned her hand to sculpture in the early 1980s."

Ms Skelton's first solo exhibition was at Sewerby Hall, near Bridlington, in 1998. In 2000, she won the sculpture prize in the Ferens Art Gallery Open Exhibition.

"Helen described her depictions of people, animals and wildlife as 'abstract based on reality'," said Mr Duggleby.

Ms Skelton, who lived in Bridlington, died in 2023

Ms Skelton said her sculptures were inspired by nature and the woodlands of East Yorkshire.

The auction takes place in Scarborough on Friday.