ELVIS left the building....at £6,700.

The final and 52nd rhino auctioned at the glittering Rhino Mania auction lived up to his legend by becoming by far the most expensive and loud cheers and applause greeted ITV auctioneer John Crane’s hammer as it fell to declare the final bid of the night.

More than 300 guests, artists, sponsors and dignitaries gathered at Chester Racecourse pavilion to bid the decorated replica beasts a fond farewell before they were shipped off to adorn the gardens, houses, exhibitions, commercial premises of their new owners.

The rhinos which have lined Chester’s streets since July were all auctioned off and raised more than £100,000 for The Chester Zoo Black Rhino Field Conservation Project and The Hospice of the Good Shepherd.

John Crane fielded the entertaining and fun evening with international and national phone callers competing against bidders in the room – all desperate to get their hands on a piece of Chester artistic folklore.

The Chronicle’s Scoopy fetched £1,200, Regal Rhino £2,600, Black and White Extinct £1,300, Splodge, £2,000, The Racer £3,800, Precious Commodity £2,400 and Stellar raising £1,300.

Rhino Mania, spearheaded by Chester Renaissance and Wild in Art along with the other festival events this summer, has brought in an estimated £16m of additional spend to the city.

According to market research more than 40% of people surveyed came to Chester this summer specifically to see the rhinos and more than 90% would return for a similar quality event.

Chester Renaissance chief executive Rita Waters who introduced the project to the city explained: “We brought to Chester a project that fitted in with the style of the city, a unique art project that added fun and vibrancy to the city, a project that brought in visitor footfall that had a vast economic impact on businesses, restaurants and bars and could raise significant income at a time when the economy has been struggling.

“Rhino Mania has united all sectors across Chester. It was a not for profit making initiative which has raised money for charity and we have had tremendous backing from all our sponsors and I would like to thank them all.

“The education element far exceeded our expectation we had 116 schools from Cheshire West involved – that’s more than 16,000 school children all involved in Rhino Mania. The children were so proud to be involved and got their families and extended families visiting Chester.”

She added: “We don’t yet know the full amount that has been raised but there will be a significant donation to those charities and I am very proud of that.”

Rhino Mania was organised by Chester Renaissance, Wild in Art, Cheshire West and Chester Council, BiG Storage, Bank of America.

Bank of America, one of the biggest sponsors, financed the massive education package attached to Rhino Mania which was rolled out to primary and secondary schools across West Cheshire.

Head of communication Rachel Vaughan explained: “We have been delighted to be involved with Rhino Mania which has benefited the city in terms of increased of visitor numbers, people wanting to spend time in the city and that’s one of the best returns that we get. Clearly it appeal to workforces in Chester and we know we are putting investment back into the community of which they are part. It has also improved the economy of the city which has been a very positive outcome of this event and that has been appreciated by everyone.”

The Chester Chronicle has been media sponsor of Rhino Mania and executive editor Michael Green explained: “From start to finish Rhino Mania has been a shot in the arm for our city. It has uplifted Chester residents, especially young families and children and drawn in new visitors.

“It has been extremely successful and shows what we can achieve in Chester when we put our minds to it. I would like to congratulate everyone who has been involved in Rhino Mania and we at The Chester Chronicle are especially delighted and proud to have acted as media sponsor to this fantastic project.”