Last night's (Thursday) Wolves in Wolves auction at Molineux raised a massive £35,440 for charity.

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More than 150 people attended the auction led by Fielding Auctioneers Ltd's Will Farmer, who is well known for his appearances on BBC's Antiques Roadshow.

There was also a swathe of online bids as 15 of the wolves from the biggest ever public art exhibition the city has ever seen went under the hammer in the Hayward Suite.

Garden (artist Claire Rollerson) was the wolf that went for the most money - a staggering £3,200, while the most expensive of the 40 mini-wolves proved to be Ralph (artist Meg Gregory) at £1,000.

The proceeds will be shared between Outside Centre and the Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Elias Mattu's chosen charities.

The Mayor, Paul Darke of Outside Centre and Wolverhampton BID Director, Cherry Shine, all made speeches and entertainment was provided by Dicky Dodd of Signal 107.

Councillor John Reynolds, City of Wolverhampton Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: "The wolves have really captured people's imaginations and the whole project has been a howling success.

"The auction was a great event. People were eager to get hold of their favourite wolf and raise money for charity at the same time.

"Wolves in Wolves has showcased the city to visitors and the wolves have helped put the city on the map as a cultural centre.

"It has also been a great way for people of all ages to get active and discover the city and what it has to offer."

The other wolves auctioned off were Wild, Colour, Love, The Sitting, Sunset, Compton, Kiyiya, Rainbow, Meditation, Endless Opportunities, Dynasty, Sacred Grandfathers, Zeus and Beowulf.

The remaining wolves will either be retained by their sponsors for use in projects, such as Hope at Headstart and Aurora at Talentmatch, both being used for activities with young people.

A handful of the wolves are set to remain on display in the city centre, such as Hunter outside the University School of Art, Old Gold in the Wolves Museum, Thomas at Marston's House, Support Life at the University of Wolverhampton, Mander at Mander House, Beanstalk at the Grand Theatre, and roaming wolf Claude.

  • released: Friday 3 November, 2017