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Luton hospice's elephant trail auction raises £230,000

Keech Hospice Care Nadiya Hussain and elephantsKeech Hospice Care
One sculpture dedicated to Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain, who was born in Luton, sold for £4,000

An auction of town centre elephant sculptures has raised £231,500 for a hospice charity.

The 38 artworks had been part of the outdoor Big Trunk Trail in Luton to showcase the "up and coming" town.

One was in memory of Sir Captain Tom Moore and two in tribute to Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain.

The money raised will go to Keech Hospice Care which provides free, specialist care for adults and children.

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One sculpture, titled Unity, was bought by Dunstable businessman Alan Corkhill for £25,000.

Mr Corkhill also bought several other elephants and plans to put them on display in local places including London Luton Airport, Wardown Park and Keech Hospice.

Keech Hospice Care Hannah Ingram-Moore and Liz Searle with Capt Sir Tom Moore elephantKeech Hospice Care
Captain Sir Tom Moore's daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore (left) with her father's elephant and Keech chief executive Liz Searle

One of the herd, called Inspiring Hope, which was decorated in tribute to the late Captain Sir Tom Moore - the Army veteran from Bedfordshire who raised millions for the NHS walking laps of his garden during lockdown.

It sold for £12,000.

The proceeds of that sale will be split between the hospice charity and The Captain Tom Foundation.

@BigTrunkTrail Sir Captain Tom Moore's family were at the auction on Thursday night@BigTrunkTrail
Sir Captain Tom Moore's family were at the auction on Thursday night

The sculptures were in various locations around Luton as part of a free trail activity from July to October.

Apart from the sale from the sculpture celebrating Sir Captain Tom Moore, all proceeds from the auction are going to the charity to help it continue caring for adults, and for children with life-limiting and terminal illnesses.

Organisers of the sculpture trail said the money raised would help Keech Hospice Care "continue making the difference when it matters the most for children and adult patients and their families".

The trail also featured 41 smaller "elephant calf" sculptures, two of which were among the 38 auctioned.

Keech Hospice Care ElephantsKeech Hospice Care
The elephant sculptures were introduced to the public in a shopping centre before being moved to different locations across the town
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