Megan Witty (Lions of Bath), The Mayor of Bath, Jocelyne Tagg & Emma Bishop (Off the Record), Richard Hall (Quartet Community Foundation), Sue Yates-Price (Lions of Bath) with DJ Spacey and Streamlion
The Lions of Bath raise over £65,000 for charity
The Lions of Bath public art event has raised over £65,000 for children's, community and wildlife charities.
A huge thanks to all of our lion sponsors and artists, to event sponsors Longleat and Deloitte, and to all the those who bought the magnificent, life-sized lion sculptures at auction.
£27,000 has been donated to the children's charity "Off the Record", which will now be able to employ a full-time worker to support hundreds of young carers aged 5-18 in the Bath and NE Somerset area. £13,500 has been donated to the Quartet Community Foundation, which distributes funds to a wide range of community projects, and £3,000 to the Mayor of Bath's Relief Fund to help those in need in the city.
A further £15,000 has been donated to The Born Free Foundation to fund the building of 15 bomas in Kenya, which protect cattle at night and help to reduce human-lion conflict, and a donation of nearly £1,500 has been made to the wildlife charity Tusk.
The conservation of lions in the wild is now vital, as it's not a very well known fact, but lions are now more endangered in the wild than polar bears. Since the 1970's, their numbers have gone down by 90%, mainly due to hunting and loss of habitat, and there are now thought to be only 20,000 lions left in the wild.
A further £5,000 has been donated to a wide range of local Bath charities in tranches of £500-£1,000.
The dramatically-patterned "DJ Spacey" lion was donated to the charity as their mascot and can be seen in the children's department of Debenhams, Bath., and "Streamlion" has now taken pride of place as the Quartet Community Foundation charity's mascot.
"My Roots", the African themed lion, was auctioned at the Mayor's Ball at the Guildhall, along with a mini-lion signed by celebrities including Michael Caine and Stephen Fry, raising a further £1,000 for the Mayor's Relief Fund for Bath.
We are delighted that the Lions of Bath event has raised vital funds for charity, particularly in this difficult economic climate. It has brought fun, colour and contemporary art to the streets of Bath and encouraged many thousands of residents and visitors from all over the world to follow the safari trail around Bath, exploring parts of the city they wouldn't otherwise have visited, helping bring extra trade to local business and generally putting a smile on the face of lion fans of all ages!
Many thanks to all of the Lions of Bath team and to everyone who helped make the event such a roaring success!
Lions for sale
Two the magnificent 6ft lion sculptures are still available for sale; the footballers' choice "Wayne Roar-ney" and the sleek conservation lion "Big Game?"
If you would like to become the proud new owner of these stunning sculptures, or if you would like a blank lion to decorate to your own design, please email [email protected] for further details.
Aequitas (now sold) blank lion
A Series of Unfortunate Events My Roots (sold)
(sold)
Lion of Judah (sold) Wayne Roar-ney
Uhuru (sold) Big Game?
Lions mark new territory
The lions have found homes all over the world. One has just crossed the Atlantic and has set up home in Texas, others are marking new territory in Prague, Biarritz, London, Nottinghamshire and Brighton.
Many remained closer to home - in homes, businesses and shops around the Bath area. The stunning Roman mosaic'd "Leo Aquae Sulis" is displayed in the window of Mandarin Stone in Broad Street, "The King of the Rock n Roll Jungle" (Elvis!) is in the Guildhall Market, "Boris", signed by Boris Johnson and Olympians Amy Williams and Jason Gardener in the window of Mastershoe in Walcot Street, "DJ Spacey" who is currently in the Debenhams children's department, the scalpel-maned "Dave" and the comely coin-covered "Euan the Lion" in the window of "Ideas of the Mind" on the London Road, the pride's only female lion "Daisy Honeysuckle" at Norland Nurseries in Snow Hill and "NICU" promoting the RUH's fabulous new neonatal intensive care unit.
A number of the pride have been bought and then kindly donated to local charities, including "Fenton", the Royal Photographic Society's lion, which is now in pride of place at Bristol Zoo; the"NICU" lion, which will soon be on display at the RUH and "La La Sensory Lion", which was donated to Three Ways School in Bath.
The lion artists receive 25% of the sale price of their lions as payment for their work and exceptional creative talents and lion sponsors are eligible for a return of 20% as a thank you for their original sponsorship. We would like to say a huge thank you to a number of sponsors and lion artist Sir Peter Blake, for very generously donating their commissions to the Lions of Bath charities, which has been a great help in further boosting the amount raised for charity.
Lions of Bath online shop
Lions of Bath merchandise can now be found at the website online store at newly reduced prices.
Blank mini-lions for decorating to your own design make excellent presents, and the Lions of Bath book filled with hundreds of colour photos of the lions in pride of place around Bath this summer and the lion posters and t-shirts are great value for money at just £5.
If you have a Leo in your life, or are looking for a really wild and unique gift for Christmas, the limited edition, silver lion necklaces, specially designed for the project by Bath jeweller Nicholas Wylde, and the gorgeous solid plaster mini-lions make a wonderful gift at any time of year.
Lions of Bath auctions
Olympic gold medallist Amy Williams and Bath Rugby's Lee Mears auction "Medal-lion", painted by the talented Amy, at the Lions of Bath charity auction at the Assembly Rooms in Bath
Lions head into the Bath Press site, where they were stored before the auction
Really wild department store!
The opening of Debenhams, Bath's newest department store recently was a roaring success! Taking pride of place outside the entrance to the store was "FloraLeo", the latest addition to the Lions of Bath pride, painted by top British fashion designer Jeff Banks.
"FloraLeo" was unveiled by Jeff Banks, with the help of some younger members of the crowd who had been waiting since the early hours of the morning to be amongst the first to enter the brand new store. 
Jeff said "I've been asked to design many things in my years as a fashion designer, but I can say for certain I've never tackled a lion!"
A Star is Born!
The majestic Lions of Bath pride was joined over the summer by a new, bonus lion, sponsored recently by Total Star 107.9 FM Radio and DJ Mike Read
"Star", painted by London-based artist Rich Simmons, who has been referred to as an "up and coming Banksy" was another great addition to the pride and delighted lion fans who discovered him in his prime spot in the city centre! 
Mike came to Bath to see "Star" as he arrived off the "Lions in Transit" van from London and did a whirlwind tour of some of the more musical lions in town, including the Elvis lion "King of the Rock n Roll Jungle", which is now on display in the Guildhall Market, and the Michael Jackson lookalike "King of Pop", with his sparkly white glove and black ringlets.
Mike was the auctioneer for the charity auction on 17th October at Bath's new Komedia music venue.
Mike rocks with the King in the Guildhall Market
Lions a roaring success at WOMAD
One of the Lions of Bath pride joined an international cast of musicians at the recent WOMAD festival at Charlton Park, where he was one of the stars of the show!
Pride of place in the musician's VIP enclosure...
WOMAD (World of Music, Art and Dance), which showcases the work of musicians from around the globe, was founded 30 years ago by world famous musician Peter Gabriel, whose Real World Studios are based in Box, near Bath.
As WOMAD's logo is a lion, it seemed natural for one of the Lions of Bath sculptures to take part in the event. The sight of a 6ft fibreglass lion standing in the musicians' VIP tent attracted many of the hundreds of festival's performers to decorate and sign him, including Tuareg musicians from the Sahara, Palestinian and Ethiopian bands, American rap artists, Cuban and Burundi singers, the hugely popular Australian entertainer and artist Rolf Harris and WOMAD founder Peter Gabriel.
Peter Gabriel meets the WOMAD lion
Rolf Harris added his artistic skills to WOMAD moments before appearing on stage! Something of a lion fan, Rolf, who is 80 years old this year, has painted some wonderful wildlife portraits, which can be seen at www.rolfharris.com.
Rolf Harris added his artistic skills to WOMAD moments before appearing on stage! Something of a lion fan, Rolf, who is 80 years old this year, has painted some wonderful wildlife portraits, which can be seen at www.rolfharris.com
Lions of Bath online shop
Full size 6ft Lions of Bath sculptures, 1ft solid plaster mini-lions, silver lion necklaces, Lions of Bath books, posters and t-shirts are now available via the website online store.
Lions of Bath books are now also available from the Good Buy Books in Manvers Street.
The Pride marks in territory
All 100 lions were released onto the streets of Bath and the surrounding area in May 2010 and tens of thousands of residents and visitors to Bath made the most of the British summer and enjoyed their safari around the World Heritage city, tracking down the individually decorated members of the pride.
The most southerly member of the pride, 'On Safari', can be seen standing proud in the Animal Encounters area at Longleat Safari Park, seen here with his artist, Longleat animal keeper Jo Hawthorn.
As Lions of Bath event sponsors, Longeat had two lion sculptures, both of which were painted by talented animal keeper Jo Hawthorn. The first to emerge from Jo's studio (a container at the Safari Park!) was 'The Bath Lion', painted to resemble Longleat owner Lord Bath, complete with grey flowing locks and a brightly coloured waistcoat!
The Bath Lion was displayed in pride of place outside the Roman Baths in Abbey Churchyard, within a whisker of the footballing lion, 'Wayne Roarney', which took up residence outside the magnificent Bath Abbey, founded in 1499
.
After Wayne's performance at the 2010 World Cup, the Abbey verger very kindly wheeled Wayne into the sanctuary of the Abbey each night for his protection. After a good night's sleep away from the attentions of footie fans, the magnificent Abbey doors were swung open each morning for Wayne Roarney to be wheeled out, fully refreshed, back into the wilds of the city.
Stationary Lions
"Killerbyte" by Simon Spilsbury was sponsored by Backup Direct. Check out Simon's brilliant video of Killerbyte in production and his latest on Killerbyte and the gang being restored for the auctions!
The Lion Framer
One of the more unusual lions to have taken up residence in Bath recently is "The Lion Framer". Decorated as a traditional lion-tamer, "The Lion Framer" is the only lion in Bath with a different paw configuration as his sponsors adapted him to leap through a giant picture frame above the entrance of The Framing Workshop in Walcot Street.
Literary Lion
Photos by Megan Witty
Actor Simon Callow , who starred in "The Man from Stratford" at Bath's Theatre Royal, signing one of the Lions of Bath mini-lions after his final matinee performance.
Lions Roar Goodbye Auction Preview weekend
Euan the Lion, sponsored by Ideas of the Mind, made his debut at the Roar event with his impressive coat of 2,000 silver 10ps and valuable "Una and the Lion" gold coin on his forehead. He soon became one of the most popular members of the pride, selling for an amazing £15,000 at the auction last Friday. Proceeds from Euan's sale were donated to the Born Free Foundation to help protect lions in the wild.
Prior to the auctions, the majestic pride of 104 lions was displayed in all its glory in the sunshine in front of the world famous Royal Crescent in Bath.
The incredible sight of the giant pride gathered together for the first and last time attracted nearly ten thousand lion fans who came from all over the region and beyond to say their farewells to the fabulous array of lions, each decorated in a wide range of styles and techniques.
The weekend's events were accompanied by live music from a number of African musicians, including the colourful South African drummer Risenga Makondo.
Risenga caused a few double-takes in Milsom Street in Bath, when he nipped off to the bank between performances, still in his full African head-dress and clothing, creating quite a stir in the queue for the HSBC counter!
Other lion themed and African music was presented by City of Bath College musicians, including Momoudou, a fabulous drummer and singer from Senegal, and West End singer Roger Wright, the original Simba from the Lion King musical.
As proceeds from the Bonus Lion, Euan, were being donated to the Born Free Foundation, the charity's CEO, Will Travers gave a moving talk at the auction about the plight of lions in the wild.
Roger Wright, the original star of the West End show "The Lion King" performed live at the Roar weekend and lion actions. Seen here with the Kings of Pop and the Rock n Roll Jungle.
"Hospital lion" won by the Thompson family in Bath
Hospital Lion, which took the place of some of the damaged or injured lions over the summer, was won by the Thompson family who live near the RUH in Bath, much to the delight of their daughter and twin sons seen here welcoming the lion to their home.
The floral lion, skillfully made from thousands of plants by the BaNES Parks Department was won by Jan Clare in Lansdown and the 6ft cuddly lion was won by Mr Johnstone from Bristol.
The prize of lunch for 4 with the Mayor of Bath was won by Bath University physchology student Christina Lejman, who is looking forward to her engagement with the Mayor in the New Year.
Name the Lion competition
As well as event mascot "Edgar", signed by over 1,000 residents and visitors to Bath, the Lions of Bath shop in Milsom Place was also home to the star of the You Tube video, the plain white lion that came face to face with the real-life pride at Longleat.
The lion was christened "Clawdius" in the Name the Lion competition, entered by over 1,000 lion fans and won by 11 year old Katie Seaborne from Bath.
Clawdius still proudly bears the muddy paw & claw marks (and a bite-mark on his back leg!) The video of his encounter can be seen on YouTube, under the heading "Lions of Bath".
YouTube Lion Safari
Thousands of lion fans followed their safari maps around Bath this summer, tracking down all 100+ members of the pride, many taking months of dedicated lion hunting to bag every member of the pride.
The Purdie family's dedication to the task has been brilliantly illustrated in a YouTube video, which we thought lion fans may like to see as a reminder of all the fabulous lions in the pride in their natural habitat out on the streets of Bath, Bradford-on-Avon, surrounding villages, Longleat and Corsham this summer.
Click here to view the family enjoying their summer safari.
Lions of Bath safari maps
Lions of Bath maps were available from the Bath Tourist Information Centre, Bath Festivals Office, The Framing Workshop (Walcot St), Oldfield Park Bookshop (Moorland Road), Hamptons International (Gay St), Waterstone's (Milsom St), KC Change in Abbey Churchyard, Bradford on Avon Tourist Information Centre, Rudloe Stone and the Tourist Information Centre in Corsham, The Galleries Shop & Cafe (Freshford) and Woody's Farm Shop (A36, near Norton St Philip)
Check out YouTube for artist Kate Rattray's video of the making of Zillion. Thousands of beautiful mosaic tiles lovingly applied to Zillion over the course of many weeks earlier this year, reduced to just 3 minutes!
Lion photos
Thousands of photographs of the Lions of Bath sculptures in their locations around Bath can be seen on the Flickr photo-sharing website. If you're taking photos of the pride why not upload them into the Lions of Bath photo pool?
"King of the Rock 'n' Roll Jungle", which is now on display in the Guildhall Market having been bought back at the auction by his sponsor, Mike from the Guildhall Market, proved to be one of the most popular lions in the pride. Many of his fans had been so upset to see him go, but are now delighted that for the time being at least, he'll be back in pride of place at the Market.
Recyclions
A pair of magnificent golden lions took up residence this summer on top of skips outside the Bath Recycling Skips HQ on the A376 between the Odd Down Park & Ride and Peasedown St John to the South of Bath, amazing motorists and providing some excellent entertainment for slow-moving commuter traffic!
Artist of both lions, Sarah-Jane van der Westhuizen, who was also responsible for the fabulous Pigasus silver-winged pig for the 2008 King Bladud's Pigs event, spent weeks collecting junk and recycled materials to cover the lions' bodies. She has used everything from bottle caps and buttons to toys, mobile phones and baby shoes, with telephone curly cable for the lions' dreadlocked manes and many hundreds of inverted computer keyboard keys, which make up their tails. A roaringly good example for recyclers everywhere!
Pride and joy...
You may have seen the fascinating encounter between one of our Lions of Bath sculptures and the real life pride at Longleat on BBC Points West recently, which has since become quite a talking point!
The footage can be seen in the Lions of Bath shop, along with a video of how to use the e-safari LAYAR mobile phone app...
The fantastic lion footage can also be seen in a two minute film about the Lions of Bath 2010 event on the Lions of Bath YouTube Channel.
The Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath was taken over by the pride of multi-coloured lions for the recent media launch of the Lions of Bath 2010 public art event.
Photo: Celia Mannings
It was a wild success, attended by sponsors, artists, press and TV and was featured on BBC and ITV regional news throughout the day. Stories about the event appeared across Britain in the regional and national press.
Photo: Celia Mannings
Bath's gold Olympic medallist and talented artist Amy Williams MBE took a well-deserved break from her training to team up with "Medallion", the lion she painted for sponsors Bath Rugby, and was joined by the rugby club's real life British rugby lion, Danny Grewcock. "Medallion" was displayed outside the Bath Rugby shop on Pulteney Bridge.
Tunited we stand
Photo: Celia Mannings
Bath-based musician Midge Ure OBE of Ultravox, who co-organised the Live 8 concerts with Bob Geldof and is an ambassador for Save the Children, dropped in between UK tour dates to see his lion "Tunited", named after his new music download website. "Tunited - Iron Lion Zion", to give him his full name, was installed up over the entrance porch of Ralph Allen House near Bath Spa train station.
The Bath Lion
"The Bath Lion", inspired by Lions of Bath event sponsor Lord Bath, owner of Longleat House and Safari Park, was one of the stars of the media launch. The lion had been unveiled to Lord Bath on the steps of Longleat the day before where he declared it "a remarkable likeness - it could be my twin!"
Graffiti Lion
Peter Blake's "Graffiti Lion" sniffing the wind at the Royal Crescent
A huge thanks to celebrated British pop artist Sir Peter Blake, who kindly took time out of his busy schedule to decorate "Graffiti Lion", which was displayed at Bath's Victoria Art Gallery near Pulteney Bridge.
Sir Peter Blake painting his 2008 "Tattooed Pig"
Lion Locations
Over 80 lions were displayed in the centre of Bath, but some took up residence in locations around the city including a trail of lions down the A36 towards Longleat, three padded their way across to Bradford on Avon, a couple of fabulous lions, including "The Lions Share" above the Old Bank Antiques centre, provided light relief for commuters along the London Road, with "Maximus" displayed at Boniti Stone, just above the entrance to the National Trust's Dyrham Park.
Thank you so much to all our wonderful lion artists for their talents and hard work decorating these majestic 6ft sculptures - which graced the streets of Bath this summer looking fabulous marking their new territories around the World Heritage city!
Photo: Celia Mannings
Visitor Information
If you are planning to come to Bath on safari or otherwise this year, please visit www.visitbath.co.uk for details of accommodation in and around the city and for a wide range of other useful visitor information.
Contact the Lion Team
Photo - imagesbymarko.com
Megan, Wendy and Sue - the Lion Team - with "King of the Wylde" sponsored by Bath jewellery designer Nicholas Wylde
For further information please contact the lion team at:
[email protected]
Tel. 01225 840338
