Snoopy sculptures sell for more than £150,000 at auction after two-month trail ends
The colourful Snoopy sculptures seen around parts of south Wales in recent weeks have sold for thousands of pounds at auction.
A Dog's Trail, organised by the Dogs Trust, saw 115 big and small sculptures of the comic favourite placed in the streets, shopping centres and parks of Cardiff, Caerphilly and Porthcawl between April and June, bringing a smile to the faces of the thousands of people who passed them every day.
The trail ended earlier this month, with all 40 of the large painted sculptures put on show together for the first time outside Cardiff City Hall as part of a 'Farewell Weekend' event.
The two-month project faced some ups and downs at first, with a handful of the sculptures being damaged by vandals. Those in Cardiff even had to be moved from their original spots and 'rehomed' after five of the statues were vandalised within the first week.
The trail's 75 mini sculptures have been returned to the schools and community groups that decorated them as a lasting legacy of the project, while two of the larger sculptures have found their forever homes elsewhere.
'Rescue Me Snoopy' will remain at the Dogs Trust rehoming centre in Cardiff, while 'Self Care with Snoopy', which was decorated by the public and displayed in Roath Park, has been raffled off to a lucky winner.
However, the remaining 38 sculptures headed to auction to raise money for the Dogs Trust.
An in-person event was held at the Coal Exchange in Cardiff on Tuesday, June 21, hosted by renowned auctioneer Charles Hanson, while an online auction ran until the following day with online bidders coming from far and wide to take part.
All of the Snoopys found new homes across Wales and around the world, with bidders from Bangkok, Texas and Washington taking home some of the colourful sculptures. In total, £156,000 was raised through the auction, with this money helping the charity to care for homeless dogs at rehoming centres in Bridgend and Cardiff.
The highest bid of the event was a whopping £7,000 for 'Gwlad Gwlad', which features a number of Welsh landmarks, including the Principality Stadium and Castell Coch. This was followed by Barbour-inspired 'Barkbour', which fetched £6,300 and 'Tally', which was damaged by vandals during the trail, which went under the hammer for £6,100.
"It was an incredible night at auction and we’re thrilled our Snoopy pack raised £156,000 for the dogs in our care," said Anna Davies, Corporate Development Manager at Dogs Trust.
"Each year Dogs Trust looks after around 14,000 dogs and our rehoming centres in Bridgend and Cardiff play a big role in that.
"Thank you to those who bidded and gave a Snoopy sculpture a forever home at auction. It’s with your support that we can continue to find forever homes for more rescue dogs."
Rehoming centre dream turned reality
Before the auction began, there was more cause for celebration as the Cardiff rehoming centre was officially opened. The centre has rehomed 500 dogs since last July and can care for up to 1,000 each year. but the official opening was delayed due to Covid restrictions.
Owen Sharp, Dogs Trust CEO, said: "Dogs Trust Cardiff has been helping dogs in South Wales since last July, complementing the amazing work done by our rehoming centre in Bridgend. Bringing a rehoming centre to Cardiff was the dream of our late Chief Executive and patriotic Welshman Adrian Burder, and we are proud to be continuing his dream by turning it into reality.
"It has been truly fantastic to officially open the centre while saying thank you to all our dedicated staff who continue to go above and beyond for the dogs in their care."