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Lion sculptures by Ronnie Wood and John Cleese to go under the hammer

Lion sculptures created by stars including Ronnie Wood, John Cleese and Noel Fielding are to be auctioned for charity.

The colourfully-decorated sculptures are being sold in aid of UK conservation charity Tusk, which has the Duke of Cambridge as its patron.

The life-sized lion sculptures were previously displayed around the world as part of a global art installation called the Tusk Lion Trial.

Tusk Lion trail
Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and his wife Sally with daughters Gracie and Alice , alongside artists Gavin Turk, David Mach and Hannah Shergold during the launch of the Tusk Lion Trail (Joshua Bratt/PA)

They were displayed in Nairobi, Wellington, Sydney, New York, London, Edinburgh and Bristol.

In addition to actors Cleese and Fielding and Rolling Stones guitarist Wood, Gavin And Stacey star Matthew Horne and Dire Straits bassist John Illsley also created sculptures for the exhibition.

Others were designed by artists including Hannah Shergold, Ray Richardson and Adrian Wiszniewski.

A total of 32 lions will go under the hammer.

Tusk Lion trail
The lion statue designed by John Cleese and Jen Wade (Joshua Bratt/PA)

Tusk previously raised £750,000 with its Rhino Trail in 2018.

The charity says its mission is to “amplify the impact of progressive conservation initiatives across Africa”.

The exhibition will take place at 9pm on November 10 on the online platform Artsy.