Bears of Sheffield to hit the streets in July
Sheffield's Children's Hospital Charity is launching a new sculpture trail this summer
A new outdoor arts trail is coming to Sheffield this summer, which will see 60 large sculptures of bears placed around the city.
The Bears of Sheffield trail is all in aid of Sheffield Children's Hospital and is part of a fundraising drive to build a brand new cancer and leukaemia ward.
The trail will be comprised of 60 colourful 'big bear' statues, each standing 2.1m tall. All will be sponsored by local businesses, organisations and families.
Each will be painted up by local artists, of all ages and different skill levels.
100 'little bear' statues will also be fundraised for, with each one being decorated by local schools and colleges.
The trail comes after the success of the similar Herd of Sheffield elephants in 2016. It's launching a year later than planned due to the pandemic.
Event Organiser Cheryl Davidson said: “The Bears of Sheffield will be a great opportunity for us to get outside, explore Sheffield and celebrate our wonderful city, all for a good cause. "
"We’re delighted the trail will make its long-awaited entrance this summer."
“It will showcase the vision, creativity and generosity of our community."
She added: "Whether sponsoring a bear, shouting about the trail, donating, or taking on your own challenge or bear-themed event, we can’t wait for everyone to enjoy the trail this summer.”
Once the trail is completed the larger bears will be auctioned off to raise extra funding for Sheffield Children's Hospital.
The money could prove vital, as the pandemic has seen the charity's fundraising fall by around a third since last year.