A Limpley Stoke-based charity has raised more than £50,000 to provide sanitation for people in the developing world through an auction of celebrity-designed toilet signs.
Wherever the Need held a grand auction in London to sell off all the artwork which had been displayed in Bath for its Doorway to Dignity project.
The charity invited actors, singers, sportsmen and politicians to add their creative flair to the standard men and women toilet signs for a unique art trail around Bath.
Annie Lennox contributed a female toilet sign with the lyrics to Sweet Dreams handwritten across them and the male toilet sign featured the lyrics to Missionary Man. Click the images below.
Famous faces including prime minister David Cameron, actor Kenneth Branagh, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and supermodel Lily Cole all submitted their own designs.
Now all those signs have been auctioned off, raising much-needed funds to provide toilets for people in India.
Among the celebrities at the star-studded event were sports commentator Gabby Logan and her rugby player husband Kenny and Merlin actress Angel Coulby.
Gabby, whose contribution to the auction was a combined effort with her husband, said: “Lots of charities fight for your attention, but this project is very unusual – I think that’s why it appealed.
“It’s a really lovely, colourful, creative way to show support.”
Angel Coulby said she was happy to get involved with the project because she felt the charity did such good work.
She said: “The work Wherever the Need does is incredibly important.
“If you can help people have clean water and keep clean its going to stop them getting illness and disease.
“Starting at the foundations, keeping people alive, is one of the most important ways of helping.”
The evening began with a champagne reception and a performance by comedian Des O’Connor, before the director of auction house Christie’s Piers Boothman took the hammer.
Chief executive of Wherever the Need David Crosweller thanked everyone involved for helping them make such a huge amount of money for the good cause.
He said: “The auction has been a phenomenal success and we’re incredibly grateful to all the celebrities and artists who took the time to create artwork – without them we simply wouldn’t be here.”
The top-selling piece was an aquamarine oils artwork by Maggi Hamblings which made £5,000.
Other high sellers included work from photographer Sam Taylor-Wood, shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, singer Annie Lennox and a rare original by satirical illustrator Ralph Steadman.
For more information or to make a donation go to www.doorwaytodignity.org