Coronavirus: Mystery artist The Hat leaves works for charities

The artist has left the panels on the village telephone box

A mystery artist has been leaving his coronavirus-inspired works at various locations asking that they be auctioned for charities.

Known only as "The Hat", the man has left various sculptures and paintings at charity shops and pubs in the Woodbridge area of Suffolk.

His latest work, panels showing the union jack and images of the virus was left at Butley village telephone box.

No-one knows who the artist is as he simply leaves a note signed "The Hat".

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On his website, the artist says he is a man in his 60s who only recently discovered "a new and totally unexpected talent" for art, having been a carpenter most of his working life.

The works appeared on the village green on Thursday

A note on the box was simply signed "The Hat"

"In response to the current situation, a selection of pieces have been donated to local charities," he wrote.

"The intention being that some help may be provided that really makes a difference to peoples' lives."

The Neathouse Restaurant in Woodbridge was left this piece, called "Infected" which it will be auctioning

One recipient of his art is landlady Jane Palmer, who recently bought the Butley Oyster pub and was about to reopen it when the country went into lockdown.

She discovered two pieces of art on her doorstep one morning, one for the pub and one with a note asking her to auction it for a charity of her choice.

Then on Thursday she woke to see the village information point - an old telephone box - "adorned with four panels that depict currently what is going on in the UK".

The panels are decorated with an image of the coronavirus, an elderly couple walking together, a parent and child and one image depicting the two-metre distancing rule.

"It really is mysterious and a little bit exciting - it's definitely created a bit of a buzz," she said.

Other recipients include the East Anglia's Children's Hospices shop in Framlingham, and The Neathouse, a restaurant in Woodbridge.

The hospice shop in Framlingham is keen to find out who "the Hat" is