Over 10,000 sleuthing enthusiasts are expected to line up at this weekend, Friday 6 to Sunday 8 October, at Millennium Point's Eastside City Park for The Big Sleuth's final public farewell to the bear-illiant Big Sleuth bears, before they go to auction on Thursday 12 October. It is hoped that the bears will raise over £500,000 for Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity's.

The Farewell Weekend has so far raised over £15,000 for Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity through the sales of tickets, with thousands more expected to come at the event from merchandise, donations and The Big Sleuth Raffle – where purchasers stand to win a 3ft paint-your-own bear.

Louise McCathie, Director of Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, said: "We will be so sad to see the bears prowl away but are delighted we were able to give the giant sleuth one final farewell before their departure. We can't quite believe that after months of planning, it's finally coming to an end! We are expecting interest in the auction to increase following the Farewell Weekend and hope that this final goodbye will inspire kind-hearted businesses or individuals to buy the bears back to stay in our city."

The bear-utiful bears were part of Birmingham's largest ever public art display, with 101 individually decorated 5ft6" bears adorning the city's streets, parks and open spaces. The bears were scanned a over 550,000 times along the 70 mile-long trail.

The Big Sleuth Auction will take place at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum and is the single biggest fundraiser that Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity has ever hosted after The Big Hoot. A limited number of tickets are available to watch the magic happen – buy yours now from www.thebigsleuth.co.uk/auction. For absentee online and telephone bid requests, register directly with Fieldings Auctioneers by emailing [email protected] or telephone 01384 444 140.