Brighton Dome and Chestnut Tree House are excited to announce that the Big Heart online auction is now live. Around 200 exclusive donated artworks will available on eBay until 7pm on Sunday 8 March, with all proceeds going to towards supporting both Chestnut Tree House and Brighton Dome.

'There is something for everyone' says June Frickleton, Big Heart curator and art expert. 'The auction includes a wide range of styles to appeal to all tastes and budgets, including photography, textile, mixed media, fine and contemporary art. We have pieces from local, national and celebrity artists, illustrators and photographers as well as 15 special artworks created by children at Chestnut Tree House.'

Amongst the artworks is an original illustration from the David Walliams book, Awful Auntie. The Illustration, Owl, has been signed by its creator Tony Ross and by David Walliams himself and is accompanied by a signed copy of the book that the picture is from.

“I was only too happy to get involved with Chestnut Tree House’s inaugural Big Heart Auction. Last year I saw first-hand the amazing work the hospice does caring for children with life-shortening conditions and their families when I was privileged enough to visit the house and read to the children. I know that the funds raised from the auction will make a real difference to children and their families across Sussex.” David Walliams

A number of other artworks have been donated by local and national celebrities. Chris Riddell has donated an original artwork from the Edge Chronicles. Chris is an award-winning children's book writer and illustrator, political cartoonist of The Observer and co-creator - with Paul Stewart - of the bestselling Edge Chronicles. This is the first piece of original artwork from The Edge Chronicles to be made available to buy and comes from book three of The Twig Trilogy, Midnight Over Sanctaphrax. The series has sold over three million worldwide.

Comedians John Shuttleworth, Jon Richardson and David O’Doherty have also all produced exclusive pieces for the auction. John Shuttleworth –who has painted Adam and Eve in the Garden Centre - says about his piece 'this is the most memorable painting I’ve done since I drew a sedan chair in J3. What I mean is – I can’t remember doing any other paintings since then. It, of course, depicts Adam and Eve in the Garden Centre – by which I mean, the centre of the Garden of Eden. I do hope you understand this complex modern work and appreciate it more than my wife, Mary, does. And if you are prepared to pay thousands of pounds to own it, then I will be overjoyed, not to mention, amazed.'

Actress, comedienne and writer Carol Cleveland, best known as the ‘7th (Monty) Python’ has contributed a piece entitled Imagination. She said, 'I paint for fun and this acrylic piece is my first attempt at modern art. I loved doing it!'

Also available to purchase is a Phil Tufnell cat painting – Tuff Cat Mk1 – created by the former England cricketer and Question of Sport regular during preparation for his recent Brighton exhibition at the Honeysett Gallery, known as the "Tuff Cat" series.

Actresses Tamzin Outhwaite and Julie Graham – who is also a Patron of Chestnut Tree House – have both produced original artworks for the auction, taking the theme of Hearts as their inspiration.

Finally, two of Juice FM DJs, Dan Gasser (Breakfast) and Guy Lloyd (Drivetime) have entered canvasses into the auction. Both DJs are hugely competitive and are eager to raise the most money for Chestnut Tree House and Brighton Dome.

As well as famous names from the worlds of literature, comedy, TV, radio and sport, a number of renowned artists have contributed pieces to the auction.

Raymond Briggs – illustrator of the much-loved The Snowman and Patron of Chestnut Tree House – has donated an original painting. The piece, entitled Snowman with a BIG heart, is an original piece commissioned for the Big Heart auction and was painted using acrylics, something Raymond told us he enjoyed using greatly. Other artists to have donated works include Dan Baldwin, whose work is collected and exhibited nationally and internationally; Maria Rivans, a British contemporary artist who creates collages utilising an array of printed materials from 20th and 21st century pop culture; Rob Ryan, whose work often consists of whimsical figures paired with sentimental, grave, honest and occasionally humorous pieces of writing which he readily admits are autobiographical; Paul Lemmon, a London based artist who works from his own photography acquired whilst soaking up the culture and colour of city life; Andy Metcalf, a London film maker and artist who exhibits widely, including at Crouch End Open Studios; and John Link, a Brighton artist who counts Judi Dench amongst his fans.

Liz Ganney, Head of Fundraising Development at Chestnut Tree House commented, “Our Big Heart auction goes live today and we are so excited to give the public the opportunity to purchase some first-class artwork. We have a fantastic range of works available to bid on and hope that there is something there for all tastes and budgets. Take a look at our website for the full gallery.”

Alongside the online gallery, Brighton Dome will play host to a public Big Heart exhibition from Wednesday 4 to Friday 6 March. The exhibition is free to enter and will be an opportunity to see first-hand artworks from a wide range of artists.

All of the works can be viewed here.