(Image: Submitted)
A global draw-along fundraiser has raised more than £21,000 for a Yorkshire animal rescue charity.
Nearly 6,000 people took part in the five-day online art event, held from September 21 to 25, which featured a portrait of rescue dog Trixy and was led by coloured pencil artist Bonny Snowdon, based near Ripon.
The Trixy Charity Draw-Along offered step-by-step, pre-recorded lessons for artists of all abilities to create a coloured pencil portrait of Trixy, a black spaniel cross.
Participants received a reference photo, line art, materials list, and ongoing access to the lessons, with all proceeds supporting The Yorkshire Rescue.
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Bonny, founder of the Bonny Snowdon Academy, said: "Animals have always been a huge part of my life, so bringing art and animals together felt completely natural.
"My community loves drawing animals, and I loved the idea of that creativity turning into practical help for animals here in Yorkshire.
"Seeing people from all over the world sign up to draw Trixy was brilliant.
"More than 1,000 members of our Ignite community joined along with around 4,500 others, and together we raised a huge amount.
"Every person who took part helped The Yorkshire Rescue give more animals the chance of a happy ending like Trixy’s."
Trixy was rescued by the charity alongside her mother and nine siblings when the puppies were just 11 days old.
She was later fostered and then adopted by Abi Andrews, a trustee of The Yorkshire Rescue.
She said: "I am completely blown away; it’s an incredible amount of money and I can barely sum in words what it means.
"Having hand-reared Trixy from just 21 days old when she was so tiny and then seeing her face inspire the Bonny Snowdon Academy community to raise £21,000 is deeply moving.
"Running a small, independent rescue charity means funding is a constant worry, and vet bills mount up incredibly quickly.
"This donation gives us a vital safety net, and it means we can say an immediate 'yes' to the next vulnerable dog or cat in desperate need.
"From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of everyone at The Yorkshire Rescue and a very happy Trixy, thank you so much."
The Yorkshire Rescue faces average monthly kennelling costs of £2,700, not including veterinary bills.
At around £18 per day for a kennel place, £10,000 could fund one additional space for about 17 months or four additional spaces for around four and a half months.
So far this year, the charity has rehomed 70 dogs and 92 cats and kittens.
The Bonny Snowdon Academy teaches students worldwide to create realistic animal and portrait drawings using coloured pencils.