Ed Sheeran has bought the pig sculpture that was modelled on him – the aptly named, Ed Sheer-Ham.
Ed Sheer-Ham was one of 38 larger-than-life pig sculptures that were auctioned off in aid of St Elizabeth Hospice following the charity’s Pigs Gone Wild interactive art trail in Ipswich this summer.
The pig was designed by Norfolk-based artist, Martin J Wall, and global superstar, Ed Sheeran approved the design before it was painted, saying it was ‘awesome’.
Before the auction, Ed had told hospice staff that he would sign the pig for the winning bidder of his pig counterpart, but it has today been announced that in fact, he himself was the lucky winner of the desirable sculpture, bidding £6,200 for the sculpture!
Rachel Backshall, St Elizabeth Hospice’s director of income generation and marketing, said: “It’s a question that everyone has been asking since the Pigs Gone Wild auction last week – did Ed buy his pig? – and we are very pleased to reveal that he was the winning bidder.
“We were wondering if he would want to buy it, but then he said he would sign the pig for the winner – he was very good at keeping everyone guessing!
“We are very glad that he decided to bid on Ed Sheer-Ham and to have raised £6,200 from his pig is fantastic, and will help make a real difference to our patients and their families. Ed has said that he is really excited about winning the pig and helping the hospice and that it will have pride of place!”
The Pigs Gone Wild trail saw 70 pigs in total, 30 junior and 40 large, dotted on a trail throughout Ipswich for ten weeks this summer, attracting thousands of visitors to the town and creating a sense of pride for locals as they took to the streets to admire the sculptures and explore different parts of the town.
At the end of the trail, the large pigs were auctioned off to raise funds for St Elizabeth Hospice, whilst the junior pigs were returned to the schools and groups that created them. Pigs Gone Wild has raised an incredible £200,000 for St Elizabeth Hospice in total which will help fun their vital nursing care and support people living with a progressive illness in Suffolk.
Ed’s support of his local charity, St Elizabeth Hospice, doesn’t stop with buying the pig, the popstar has also recently donated 13 bags of his clothes to the hospice shop in his hometown, Framlingham.
The clothes, which included T-shirts, hoodies, checked shirts, shoes and even the shirt he wore when he made a cameo appearance in Bridget Jones’s Baby, have already raised nearly £5,000 for the hospice.
Around 150 items were on sale in the hospice shop in Framlingham on Saturday, raising £2,500 in the first day; and 25 items went on sale on eBay, with bids already totalling more than £2,600.
To win yourself an item of Ed’s clobber, click here