A well-loved piece of Welwyn Garden City history was sold for more than £1,200 at a charity auction on Friday.

The yellow-coated fisherman which stood outside Classic Fish and Chips in Stonehills for more than 20 years, come rain or shine, was sold to Dawn Amys.

The £1,250 raised will now be donated to the Magic of Play Appeal to build a new playroom at the Lister Hospital.

WGC resident Dawn said she could not believe how much she had had to bid, but said it was worth every penny. As reported previously, the statue was nearly thrown away after vandals struck last month.

The 51-year-old told the Welwyn Hatfield Times: “I have been watching the Save the WGC Fisherman Facebook since they found him in the bin and really hoped that he would have gone back to the chip shop, to be honest.

“But apparently they are not interested, which is a real shame for the town. So I thought I would bid for it and keep him going.... [I] had no idea I would pay quite so much but it is all for a great cause and for Lolly, too.

“He will always be part of Lolly’s charity and I am hoping we will be able to raise more money in the future.”

The fisherman is currently in Dawn’s kitchen while she decides what to do with him.

The auction was held on Friday at the Peartree Pub in Hollybush Lane, and the evening as a whole raised £8,600.