A LITTLE girl who died of cancer will have a lasting memorial in the shape of a Snowdog after an auction which raised £337,000 for The Martlets hospice.

The sculpture called Bobby was bought for £6,500 to honour Niamh Storey-Davidson and will soon take up its position in the grounds of her school Balfour Primary School, in Brighton.

Friends, relatives, parents, staff and pupils amassed the money in a bid to find a fitting memorial for the dog loving nine-year-old who died of a rare Wilms’ tumour in 2014.

Her twin brother Zach, 11, proudly held up the paddle which bagged the winning bid for the design from Brighton artist Katherine Griffin inspired by the Mexican holiday Dia de Muertos which remembers loved ones lost.

Niamh's mother Gilli said: "We first saw Bobby on the trail and how the artist described it as a metaphor for death. The artwork is incredible, the theme is very fitting but also Niamh personally loved strawberries and flowers which the design features. It is very colourful and she really loved colouring and would use this as a way to take away the pain. It just felt right."

The sale, hosted by celebrity auctioneer Tim Wonnacott, attracted an unprecedented amount of donations - and celebrity attention - after a 10-week public trail of the individually decorated giant models.

The two-and-a-half hour frenzy saw hundreds of bidders battle it out in person at the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange and scores more online to become proud owners of Snowdog.

Max by Sarah Arnett, which previously stood outside Hove Museum, attracted the highest bid of £22,000. Boomer, designed by DJ Fatboy Slim and artist RYCA, was bought for £20,000. Smiley by Sophy Henn sold for £15,000, bidders went up to £12,000 for Disco Dog by Natalie and Flower by Kai and Sunny attracted offers up to £11,000.

Snowman’s Nightmare by Pure Evil sparked an online bidding war and was eventually sold for £8,000.

Hanover residents also managed a successful community bid, buying Process Pup by Josh Ford for £5,800. They hope to keep it on display for the public to admire. And The Argus Newshound was snapped up for £5,000. No Snowdogs were sold for less than £3,800.

Imelda Glackin, chief executive of The Martlets, said: "Snowdogs by the Sea has exceeded all our expectations on so many levels. The spirit and generosity that's been displayed for the whole campaign is really reiterated to us how important The Martlets is to the city. It's been exciting, it's been humbling, it's been emotional and it's been fully of surprises. People have come away with their own piece of the Snowdog trail to create more memories for themselves. It is sad to see the dogs go but I know it has been a great campaign because we have achieved what we set out to do."

The Argus has been the official media partner for the Wild in Art and Martlets project.