Auctioneers are hoping Superman himself will help out the superheroes of the NHS.

A life-sized version of the Man of Steel, complete with surgical mask, is being auctioned off to raise cash for NHS charities.

The 6ft 10 inches tall superhero statue will be sold at special online auction organised by Hartleys Auctions, based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.

The limited edition statue was produced for the promotion of the 2006 movie Superman Returns, and is an eight-piece painted fibreglass model.

The auctioneers said it was donated by Shane Swallow of Ossett Antiques and Valuables.

Charles Hartley, director at Hartleys Auctions Ltd, said: “We are delighted to be hosting the special charity auction on May 6, and hope the unique item will raise as much money as possible for the NHS.

“We have been inspired by so many examples of people doing what they can with what they have to support our frontline carers – and we have an auction house and a very large Superman statue.

“We are very grateful to everyone involved helping make this possible and look forward to welcoming everyone at the online event next week.”

The online auction will take place on Wednesday May 6 at 11am and all proceeds from the sale will be donated to NHS Charities Together for their Covid-19 Urgent Appeal.

The sale will take place using the online bidding platform thesaleroom.com which is waiving all charges for the cause, Hartleys said.

Absentee bids can also be made via emailing [email protected], with a number of telephone bids available.