When an army of model pigs invaded Bath last year the city took the swines to heart.

The popular porkers hit the headlines and raised tens of thousands of pounds for an environmental project.

Now, more than a year after the final few pigs trotted off the streets, Bath is preparing to repeat the exercise with a grander breed of animal.

In May next year, around 100 individually decorated life-size lion sculptures will be taking up prominent positions around the city.

The big cats will become familiar fixtures for six months before being auctioned for a variety of local charities.

Last year's King Bladud's Pigs in Bath project was based around the mythological story of the man who discovered the healing spa waters which the city was founded on while out walking his pigs.

Bath is already home to more than 500 images of lions in various spots and organisers of the Pride in Our City scheme are hoping to underline place in the history of the city.

Lions are featured on the city's coat of arms which dates back to the crowning of King Edgar, the first king of England, in Bath in 973 AD.

The creatures also guard the entrance to Royal Victoria Park which was the first park in the world to bear the name of Queen Victoria after she opened it in 1830 at the age of 11.

Businesses, communities and individuals will have the chance to sponsor the lions which will be decorated and personalised by artists.

The models will then be auctioned, just as the King Bladud's Pigs in Bath were last year.

Proceeds from Pride in Our City will go to Off The Record, which supports young carers aged five to 18 in Bath, the Quartet Foundation which funds community projects across the west and the Mayor's Relief Fund which gives emergency funding for people in need in the city.

A percentage of the money raised will be put back into a rolling fund for future public arts projects in Bath.

Pride in Our City will be run by a steering group involving people who were also instrumental in the pigs project including PR consultant Sue Yates-Price, entrepreneur Wendy Learoyd and former TV producer Megan Witty who has experience filming lions in the wild in Kenya.

Mrs Yates-Price said: "If you walk around Bath with your eyes open you will spot around hundreds of lions.

"It is the most prevalent symbol in the city and it has connections with King Edgar who was crowned in Bath Abbey.

"Our lion will be a teenage lion with attitude rather than a civic lion."

The lions will be 40 per cent bigger than last year's pigs and made in Salisbury.

Around 35 businesses in Bath and Bradford on Avon have already expressed an interest in sponsoring a lion.

For more information visit the website www.lionsofbath.com.