Swindon Big Dog Art Trail auction raises over £165k for charity

Hundreds gathered at Swindon's STEAM Museum for the auction

An auction of decorated balloon dog sculptures which featured in an art trail in Swindon has raised over £160,000 for a local hospice charity.

This summer's Big Dog Art Trail featured 72 "Swindogs" and "Swinpups" placed in communities and at landmarks across the town for people to find.

Some of the sculptures went under the hammer on Tuesday, raising £165,800 for Julia's House Children's Hospice.

Charity CEO Mike Bartlett said the sum raised was "remarkable".

An estimated 23,000 people were believed to have taken part in the art trail, accumulating 30 million steps in the process, according to the charity, which has hospices in Dorset and Wiltshire.

Bidders gathered online and in person at Swindon's STEAM Museum for a chance to buy some of the sculptures, with auctioneer Charles Hanson, from the BBC's Flog It!, leading proceedings.

Julia's House Children's Hospice CEO Mike Bartlett and the team at the auction

With an auction target of £100,000, the team at Julia's House said they had begun the evening feeling nervous.

Mr Bartlett said: "I'm absolutely nervy, I can't stand still. I'm just jittering around.

"This is ultimately what determines the success for Julia's House."

• Listen to the evening unfold on BBC Radio Wiltshire

However, once the bidding was over, Mr Bartlett said he was very pleased with the result: "The people of Swindon have come good."

"Everybody bidding has been so generous and helps us continue doing vital work in the community," he added

"Papillon", the "top dog" sculpture as voted for by the public, with its creator Caroline Parrott

Many of the artists involved in creating the sculptures were among those attending the auction, including Caroline Parrott, whose dog "Papillon" was voted "Top Dog" by the public.

The Dorset based aluminium artist hand cut and dyed 3,864 metal butterflies for her three-dimensional design.

The artist said she was "excited" to see her dog go to a new home after it had spent nine months in her garden.

Morgan and Judy Guillery, a mother and son team who designed the "Steam Pup" Swindog

Also at the auction were mother and son designers Morgan and Judy Guillery, the creators of "Steam Pup", featuring Swindon's railway heritage.

Morgan was the youngest artist behind one of the balloon dog sculptures, at 12 years of age.

"Steam Pup" raised £3,100 at auction, an experience Morgan described as "terrifying and crazy".

Swinpups designed and painted by pupils at Swindon's schools

Not all of the 72 sculptures went up for auction, with the majority of "Swinpups" kept to one side to be returned to the schools whose pupils had designed and painted them.

Auctioneer Charles Hansen described those attending the auction as a "great crowd".

He said they had "great energy" and he had enjoyed "making memories" with them.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson, from the BBC's "Flog It", led proceedings at the sale