'Pigs Gone Wild' art trail reaching Ipswich in 2016

The first pig sculpture, Tally-ho Trotters, was unveiled at the Suffolk Show

A herd of pig sculptures is to go on display in Ipswich as the town becomes the latest place to host an art trail for charity.

Forty models will be dotted around the streets and waterfront as part of the "Pigs Gone Wild" art trail in summer 2016, in aid of St Elizabeth Hospice.

The animals, chosen to "celebrate Suffolk's rich agricultural heritage", will be decorated by local artists.

The production company behind Norwich's gorilla art trail is also involved.

Organisers said the sculpture trail would be the town's "biggest-ever mass participation public art event".

Charity art trail safaris

• In 2008, Liverpool was home to 125 individually-designed miniature replicas of Taro Chiezo's Superlambanana sculpture as part of its European Capital of Culture celebration

• Earlier this year, 120 models of Shaun the Sheep were installed in London and Bristol. Another Nick Park creation, Gromit, had his own trail in Bristol in 2013

• A herd of 36 fibreglass rhinos could be found around Southampton a couple of years ago. The sculptures were designed to raise awareness of the plight of rhinos in the wild

• An auction of sculptures from Norwich's Go Go Gorilla trail raised £270,000 for Norfolk charity Break. The life-sized gorillas were on display in the city in 2013

The hospice revealed its first sculpture, Tally-ho Trotters, at the Suffolk Show on Wednesday.

"We're extremely excited to start talking to local businesses and artists about sponsoring and creating the other sculptures," said the hospice's special projects manager Norman Lloyd.

The full-grown pigs will be joined by litters of piglet sculptures, decorated by school students and teachers, which will go on display in town centre stores for the 10-week project.