A flock of unique ceramic sheep raised a staggering £250,000 when they went under the hammer.

And Copeland artists are among those who helped reach the impressive amount, including Sarah Taylor from St Bees whose three sheep raised £6,500 between them.

The county-wide project saw more than 100 Herdwick ewes and lambs, decorated in an array of colours and designs, take up home at Cumbrian beauty spots before going to auction.

The money raised by the special Herdwicks is being used to boost the work of a prolific Cumbrian charity.

It was a year ago when Sarah was approached by one of the businesses which had sponsored a sheep, asking if she would paint it.

Then two more followed and she ended up with three.

Because of their size, she had to store them at nearby Florence Arts Centre in Egremont and when she painted them, they filled her living room.

One of the sheep, Woolplan, was created using Sarah's trademark painting style, blowing paint around and dribbling and splashing it on which she created for a Penrith-based company.

"It was great fun and they were very pleased with it," said the 40-year-old. "It was unusual to be painting a sheep as I usually paint on a flat surface. Funnily enough I'm painting a picture of a Herdwick at the minute.

"When I saw what they had went for, it was quite a shock."

Another St Bees artist, Jenni Payne, saw her sheep – painted like a zebra – sell for £2,800. The highest bid of the night saw a "Parker" Herdwick in a discoball style go for £20,000.

The collection of sheep which formed the Go Herdwick project were sponsored by nearly 100 businesses and decorated by more than 70 artists.