Lions to be 'mane' event for charity

A trail of 150 lion sculptures is to appear across South Yorkshire to mark 150 years of Sheffield Children's Hospital.

They will be accompanied by 150 lion cubs, and all will be auctioned off at the end of the project to raise money for the hospital's charity.

Called the Pride of Yorkshire Sculpture Trail, the life-sized lions aim to help raise £2.8m towards the "transformation of the emergency department at Sheffield Children's Hospital, the charity said.

It added that the current emergency department, opened in 1977, was designed for 24,000 patients a year but now "more than 62,000 children and young people come through its doors each year".

Some of the lions have been painted to reflect local landmarks and steelmaking, as well as sports.

Chief executive of Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust Ruth Brown said they wanted the department to match the clinical excellence offered by its staff.

"The community of South Yorkshire has been part of Sheffield Children's for 150 years and is still today.

"Everybody who has painted a lion or a lioness, or all the schools that have painted the cubs, are all a part of our history and everything we do at Sheffield Children's."

Brown added that the fundraising appeal for the emergency department was central to the effort.

"To help the most critically poorly children who come in through our emergency department every year."

The plan was to create "purpose-built clinical environments, improve patient flow and reduce wait times, enhance privacy and family experiences, and the create spaces for high-quality care for patients with additional needs", said the charity.

One of the artists to have designed two lions for the trail is Natasha Clarke from Doncaster who said she went onto the wards to deliver workshops for the children.

"It's a fantastic charity and they do loads of great work, I'm so happy to be part of this project."

The trail of lions will be installed in Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, and Doncaster ahead of its formal opening on 8 June.

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