Head up the escalators at Moor Walk and, on your right, you’ll spot what looks like a nondescript, vacated industrial unit. But peer through the window and a very different scene unfolds. Inside, some of South Yorkshire’s best-known artists are bringing an eclectic pride of big cat sculptures to life – a sneak peek at the Pride of Yorkshire, a public art trail that will see 150 lions installed across the region this summer to raise money for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity.
Beyond the spectacle of brightly painted lions dotted across the region, the project also carries a serious goal: raising £2.8 million for the charity. Previous sculpture trails – including the much-loved Herd of Sheffield and Bears of Sheffield – have already raised more than £1.4 million, and organisers hope Pride of Yorkshire will build on that success. At the end of the trail, the sculptures will be auctioned, giving businesses and collectors the opportunity to take home a unique piece of public art while helping fund world-class paediatric care and research at the hospital that turned 150 this year.
For Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, the sculpture trails have become a powerful way of connecting the hospital with the communities it serves.
“I think it captures people’s imagination because it’s something different,” says corporate partnerships officer Holly Newton-Steele. “That’s how we try and run as a charity. It’s not just about people donating money to us – we want to do something innovative where people get a bit of value for the money and everyone can get involved.”
That approach has helped turn the trails into genuine regional events. This year’s lions will be spread across Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham – a reflection of the hospital’s wider reach.
“A third of the children we see come from outside of Sheffield,” Holly explains. “So it’s really important to us that we’re in communities right across the region.”
Alongside the 150 large lions designed by professional artists, another 150 cub sculptures will be decorated by schools and community groups across the region. For many schools, it builds on a tradition started with previous trails and they will soon have a third for the collection.
Back inside the Moor workshop, that wider community effort is beginning to take shape as artists transform blank fibreglass forms into colourful centrepieces.
Sheffield’s Pete McKee is one of many household names involved in the project, contributing two sculptures of his own. Like many of the artists in the room, he relishes the creative challenge that comes with each new animal.
“The first challenge is what you’re going to do with the sculpture,” he says. “And how you can theme that – using the animal as the starting point or using the charity’s objectives. It’s that fine balance between creating a nice piece of art but also having a sympathetic message.”
One of McKee’s lions leans directly into that balance. The design ties into the British Transplant Games – which are coming to Sheffield this summer – and uses humour to highlight organ donation and transplant awareness. Drawing inspiration from the classic board game Operation, it features a playful twist on the familiar imagery.
His second sculpture takes a very different direction, leaning fully into the lighter side of the project. The lioness will be decorated with tattoo-style illustrations of plump domestic cats – a tongue-in-cheek nod to their shared ancestry with the mighty lion.
Elsewhere in the studio, Zoe Genders is working on a lion inspired by the compassion of NHS staff. Known for her bold, graphic style, she has adapted her approach slightly for the project. “It does have my usual colours and style,” she says, “but it’s a lot more child-friendly… lots of love hearts and cheerful things.” The design aims to reflect the warmth and positivity that families encounter when they pass through the hospital.
For street artist Bubba 2000, the process has been deliberately playful and intuitive. Much of his work evolves as he responds to the surface provided rather than following a plan. “You’re feeding the inner child,” he says. “You’re trying to keep that inner child going.” Bubba's sculpture also incorporates hidden details designed to reward closer inspection, turning the finished piece into something of a visual treasure hunt.
Lisa O’Hara has taken inspiration from Sheffield’s sporting heritage, producing a design themed around snooker – a nod to the city’s global reputation as the home of the World Championship. Her initial proposal leaned heavily into psychedelic music imagery before evolving into something more focused on the game itself. “I did an application and it was quite busy and psychedelic,” she explains. “Then they said: could you focus it more towards snooker?” The result retains her colourful, energetic style while celebrating one of the city’s most recognisable exports.
For many of the artists involved, the shared workshop space has been an unexpected highlight. Creatives are often used to working alone, so the opportunity to create alongside others – even briefly – has brought a new dynamic to the process. McKee notes that seeing how others tackle their work can be inspiring: “You can be on your own little island at times, so it’s interesting and reassuring that you can see fellow artists and see how they approach things.”
Zoe Genders agrees, describing the experience as a welcome break from solitary practice. “You spend probably 90% of the time in your studio, so it’s really nice to be around other people and have that sense of community.” As they work, conversations drift easily between technique and storytelling while comparing progress and swapping ideas.
For Bubba, the atmosphere even echoes his art school days.
“It’s like being back at Norton College in the 90s,” he laughs, pointing to the sociable environment that has developed. “Everyone’s super supportive of everyone else.”
That sense of collaboration is something Holly believes will resonate with the public once the trail officially launches on 12 June. The workshop itself has already become a small attraction, with curious passers-by stopping to peer through the windows as the sculptures gradually take shape.
“It’s really vibrant and colourful,” she says. “The artists are always smiling and chatting – it’s just really lovely seeing it come to life.”
If the earlier trails are anything to go by, the finished sculptures will quickly become part of South Yorkshire’s landscape – appearing in family photos, social feeds and weekend itineraries as people set out with trail maps in hand.
For McKee, that sense of discovery is at the heart of the project’s appeal. “To be able to create a trail of these beautifully decorated animals and families can go around discovering them together… each one’s a new experience,” he says. “It’s something that’s a little out of the ordinary and perfect for summer holidays.”
Bubba believes those moments can leave a lasting impression, particularly for younger visitors encountering art outside a gallery setting. “It’s hopefully something that will stick with them,” he says. “They’ll remember going out trying to find them all. Public art is for everyone, no snobbery involved. That’s really important to me.”
By the time the Pride of Yorkshire lions appear across South Yorkshire this summer, they will represent far more than public sculptures. They will be markers of creativity, community and generosity – each one carrying a story from the artist who created it, the business that supported it and the charity it ultimately helps.
As Holly puts it: “It’s something fun that people can do for free during the summer holidays, and it’s all about showcasing the incredible businesses and artists that the region has to offer at the same time.”
For more information, head to prideofyorkshire.org.
