The Bristol Royal Hospital for Children is more than two million pounds better off today after an astonishingly successful auction of the Gromit Unleashed sculptures that had become a feature of the Bristol landscape over the summer.

£2,357,000 was the final total when the 81 full-size sculptures were combined with a few miniature varieties and a couple of pieces of artwork.

Auctioneer Tim Wollacott kept proceedings moving at a brisk pace, as bidding often rocketed to more than £20,000 in scarcely a few seconds, the live audience in a marquee at Cribbs Causeway competing with online bidders worldwide.

A huge round of applause greeted the first Gromit, Patch, selling for £36,000. And it was a taster of things to come.

One surprise was that the sculptures by well-known artists didn’t sell for considerably more than the others. This may be to do with people having their favourites, regardless of who daubed paint on them.

The proud new owner of Gromberry said he has had him as a screensaver on his computer since the trail began, while other winning bidders were led rather shell-shocked to a special area at the front of the marquee.

Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park thanked the “hugely generous spirit” of all those who bought a Gromit, in what was the biggest charity auction that Bristol has ever seen.

With £2.35m now going on behalf of Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal towards the care of sick youngsters at the Children’s Hospital, the Gromit Unleashed auction could easily have been a life-changing event.

Top-five Gromits at auction

1) Gromit Lightyear - £65,000

2=) Newshound – £50,000

2=) Watch Out, Dog! – £50,000

4) The Secret Garden – £44,000

5=) Isambark Kingdog Bunel – £36,000

5=) Jack – £36,000