School pupils proudly present sculpture to The Children’s Hospital Charity and help raise funds for Cancer and Leukaemia ward
Pupils at Ravenfield Primary Academy, with the help of a Twinkl designer, have decorated and brought to life their very own bear to contribute to The Children’s Hospital Charity’s Bears of Sheffield sculpture trail.
The Ravenfield bear sculpture titled ‘Together is a wonderful place to Bee’ features amongst 159 other large and small bear sculptures as part of the trail.
The bears, which have been sponsored by local businesses and schools, and painted by artists and pupils, will be available for public viewing in various indoor and outdoor locations throughout the city.
Organised by The Children’s Hospital Charity, the trail hopes to follow in the footsteps of the greatly successful Herd of Sheffield trail which took place in summer 2016 and raised over £610,000. It is hoped that the bears will raise vital funds to transform the Cancer and Leukaemia ward at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
The Bears of Sheffield Trail is long-awaited as the trail was forced to postpone last year due to the pandemic. Amidst various uncertainties and lockdowns, Ravenfield Primary have persisted with their creative vision and are proud to finally present their sculpture and show their support for The Children’s Hospital Charity.
Isabella (Year 6) explained the meaning behind its unique bright design: “The bear shows how we are all stuck together. We are bees, and the bees make their honeycomb together and they all have to work together to do it!”
Katie Rodgers, Reception Teacher at Ravenfield added: “I set the design competition at school and chose the winning design which was by Oliva in year 4. The design was really bright and eye-catching and I felt it really fit in with our school ethos and values. The hexagonal pattern joins us all together and we are the little bees in our school working together.”
Caroline Coates, Principle of Ravenfield Academy shares what it means to the school to be involved in the project: “I decided that I wanted our school to get involved with the Bears of Sheffield project as we had previously been involved in the Herd of Sheffield, and that was a really great way to work together as a school and raise money for a great cause.
“Even though we are a school based in Rotherham, lots of our children over the years have accessed support from The Sheffield Children’s Hospital and have friends who have done so.”
The charity’s education partner Twinkl, has provided design support to some of the contributing schools and pupils, including those at Ravenfield.
Professional artists and designers, who make up the creative team behind the company’s globally renowned resources and books, have been working virtually with the school to support them with their design process. Twinkl has also provided a range of supporting resources to assist schools with their creative and fundraising challenge.
Tiffany Jackson, Regional Engagement Coordinator at Twinkl, said: “The professional designers and artists at Twinkl have been privileged to work with such creative pupils in a number of schools across South Yorkshire. Supporting schools like Ravenfield and watching them turn their lifeless whitewash sculpture into a masterpiece full of life has been most remarkable.
“Twinkl can’t wait to see the bears in their various mysterious locations once the trail begins. The children at Ravenfield and all other schools involved should be very proud of their creations and fundraising efforts”
Alongside their artistic contribution, Ravenfield Primary School has also been fundraising in their effort to further support the charity. To date they have raised £4,000 through various fundraising activities including, cake sales, short story writing competitions and sponsored bear hunts.
Lucy Rathbone, Regional Fundraising Officer at The Children’s Hospital Charity added: “We would like to say a huge thank you to the pupils at Ravenfield for their fantastic fundraising in support of the Bears of Sheffield.
“Together, schools, colleges and nurseries from across the region have already raised more than £80,000 for Sheffield Children’s Hospital, which is an incredible total.
“We are also incredibly grateful to Twinkl for helping to ensure that every school has the support and guidance they need not only to decorate a beautiful bear, but also develop their knowledge and skills at the same time.”
