A collection of sculptures has sold for more than £250,000 at auction.

Over the summer thousands of visitors flocked to Maidstone to take part in the free Shaun the Sheep in the Heart of Kent art trail.

The sculptures, which had been dotted around the County Town for people to find, went under the hammer last night (September 26), raising £265,250 for Heart of Kent Hospice.

Large sculptures, little sculptures and a few surprise lots were all up for grabs.

All the individual artworks were painted by local and national artists and were auctioned by Clive Emson Land and Property Auctioneers.

The Bee Happy sculpture, created by artist Donna Newman, raised the most on the night, selling for £8,500.

When the Changing of the Seasons Shaun bench, by Annabelle Hodd, went up for auction, several bidders stood up to pledge £1,000 each to reach a total of £14,000.

The design was created in memory of the artist’s friend Lesley who was cared for by the hospice and will now have a forever home there.

The money raised will help the hospice continue to provide vital services and free palliative end-of-life care to people with terminal illnesses in and around Maidstone, which cost £6.6 million per year to run.

The hospice relies on donations, fundraisers and gifts in wills to run its services, with only small grants coming from the NHS.

Chief executive at the hospice Rachel Street said: “This amazing event was a collaboration between our hospice, Aardman, Wild in Art and Presenting Partner and sponsor Maidstone Borough Council.

“We couldn’t have carried out this event without the support of our partners and sponsors, our volunteer trail makers, along with so many other local businesses who gave their time, services and support.

“Before the auction all the colourful Shaun sculptures were together in one place for the farewell weekend, which over 2,300 people attended.

“During the nine-week free art trail 10,700 people downloaded the Parade app and a staggering 640,000 Shaun sculptures were collected, and we know that many more thousands of people enjoyed the trail using the printed map or enjoyed just stumbling upon the Shaun sculptures while in the town centre or walking along the river path and in the parks of Maidstone.

Director of income generation at the Hospice Ann-Marie Kelly added: “Fundraising is vital for the hospice to be able to continue to provide specialist advice, support and specialist care to our community.

“The amount raised will help pay for our team of doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants who provide personalised around-the-clock care in our inpatient unit and in people’s homes and care homes.

“We hope everyone enjoyed the trail and learning more about the hospices work and will consider supporting the charity in the future.”

Last month, two of the sculptures were vandalised, leaving organisers “heartbroken”.

The Heart of Kent Hospice said up to £10,000 worth of damage was caused.

Police later released CCTV images of three men following the vandalism.

Officers said the suspects reportedly took turns to kick one of the sculptures before pushing it over.

The irreparable damage meant they were unable to be sold, causing the hospice to lose out on “vital funds”.