A firm of auctioneers is set to put a special line-up of pig sculptures under the hammer later this year as part of what has been billed as the biggest mass participation art event Suffolk has ever seen.

Framlingham-based estate agents Clarke and Simpson is the latest company to partner up with Pigs Gone Wild after agreeing to become its official auctioneers.

The pigs will be displayed on a trail through the streets of Ipswich for 10 weeks this summer, brought to the town by local charity St Elizabeth Hospice, and Wild in Art.

After the trail, there is a happy ending for the pigs as Oliver Holloway, partner at the firm, will be auctioning them off at Trinity Park in Ipswich, on September 22 to raise funds for the hospice.

Mr Holloway said there was “great excitement” at being involved with the “fantastic” charity project.

“It is a real privilege to be asked to auction off the great array of colourful pig sculptures that will be on display in Ipswich this year,” he said.

“It will no doubt inject great enjoyment and excitement into the town and we hope it will raise a substantial sum of money, for a most marvellous charity, in St Elizabeth Hospice.”

Norman Lloyd, Pigs Gone Wild project manager, said: “We are delighted to have Clarke & Simpson on board as our official auctioneers and we are very grateful to them for their support and enthusiasm for the project.

“The auction will be a fantastic finale for the 10 week trail and we are hoping it will raise around £100,000 for the hospice which will go towards helping improve life for people living with a progressive illness such as cancer, motor neurone disease and heart failure.”

The large pigs will be stunningly designed and decorated by artists and sponsored by local businesses. They will also be joined on the trail by 30 junior pigs, which will be created by local schools and community groups and will be displayed in litters throughout the town.

“Our staff at Clarke & Simpson have already had a lot of fun with the project and we are also delighted to be a sponsor to one of the pigs,” said Mr Holloway.

“It is wonderful that it this massive project is not only involving local businesses, but is encompassing schools and children across the county.”

If you would like to find out more about Pigs Gone Wild and how to get involved, please visit www.pigsgonewild.co.uk or call 01473 723600 or email info@pigsgonewild.co.uk