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The auction took place at The Forum

More than 400 people turned out to bid at the Go Elephant auction on Tuesday, 23 September, 2008, where £203,100 was raised for the CLIC Sargent and Born Free Foundation charities.

The auction started on a high as the very first lot, Chaitali, by Mik Richardson, set the precedent for the night fetching £3,200.

£25,000

The highlight of the night came with the very last bid. Jemima, by Susan Gunn, wife of the former Norwich City goalkeeper, Bryan, fetched a massive £25,000.

"I wasn't really thinking about how much it was going to go for - I was really excited and I'm pleased that she's gone to a good home," said Susan.

The £25,000 elephant by Susan Gunn

"It's like sending your child off to university, you want them to have a good time and it's great to see them go and find a new home," she added.

Ms Gunn was named as the winner of the Sovereign European Art Prize in January 2006.

She gained a first class degree in fine art at Norwich School of Art & Design and won the prestigious Bishops Prize for Painting in 2003.

Hidden depths

The lucky bidder was Alan Boswell from the Alan Boswell Group. Alan had bid on several elephants throughout the evening picking up Hidden Depths for £7,500 earlier on.

"My lady loves it to bits - we're going to put it in our new offices so people can still come and see it," said Alan.

"It does make you nip up a bit, I bid on a property in North Norfolk the other week, that was a lot more money," he added.

Geoffrey Bowles from TW Gaze was auctioneer for the evening and was thrilled with the amount the auction made.

Angel made a handsome £16,000

"People were bidding for a good cause and they go home with something totally memorable and unique," said Geoffrey.

"I sat next to Susan [Gunn] for dinner, she was getting a bit anxious about what hers was going to make - for it to do so well, it finished on a real high note, fantastic," he added.

The Angel, by Kate Munro, was the second most expensive elephant selling for £16,000.