Walcot Chapel Gallery in Bath will be home to the Sketch for Survival exhibition for two days only. Dozens of famous faces including Dame Judi Dench, Stephen Fry and Sir Ranulph Fiennes have donated work to this unprecedented art collection to help raise awareness about the threats to endangered animals. All the artwork is available to bid for via online aution until Sunday 15 October helping to raise money to fight wildlife crime.

The exhibition, which has already travelled to Norwich and London, can be viewed at Walcot Chapel Gallery on Wednesday 4 October and Thursday 5 October. Entry is free.  Visitors can enjoy an array of art in many different mediums. The complete collection includes over 150 pieces of wildlife artwork donated by leading international artists from 14 different countries, as well as artwork by celebrity supporters. A capsule collection will be exhibited in Bath, around 80% of the lots, with all the pieces available to bid for and view online. 

The exhibition and auction are the idea of small UK conservation charity The Real Africa Trust. As Sara White from the Trust explains: "In recent years elephants have been killed for their ivory at a rate as high as one every 15 minutes. Three of five species of rhino including the African Black Rhino are critically endangered with extinction a very real possibility within a decade and lions also face a struggle for survival, disappearing from at least 12 African countries. We wanted to highlight these shocking statistics while also raising money to help projects on the ground, making a real difference in Africa.

We asked artists and celebrities to spend just 15 minutes on a sketch of any endagered wildlife. We have been overwhelmed by the response. Many have chosen to kindly donate time consuming, complex pieces of original artwork - we have acclaimed artists such as Pip McGarry, Katy Jade Dobson, Pollyanna Pickering and Gary Hodges, who have all donated work. We are also incredibly grateful to all our celebrity supporters from explorers like Levison Wood and television presenters Liz Bonnin and Ray Mears to sport personalities including cricketer Kevin Pietersen."

The Sketch for Survival collection also features several rare pieces including a David Shepherd archive feauturing 123 pieces of his work and signed by the late great man. 

Sketch for Survival is part of a wider conservation campaign organised by the Trust called Explorers against Extinction. the campaign will close with a gala event in London at The Royal Geographical Society with Sir Ranulph Fiennes and many special guests on Thursday 12 October. Tickets £20-£100 from Ticket Source, including entry to Sketch for Survival exhibition.