cheryl

I’m not quite sure where to begin. 💙🦁 Last night was something I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the @POY_Trail at the Crucible as I’m away, but I listened live with friends, and by the end of it we all had tears streaming down our faces. It certainly wasn’t the ending I’d imagined when I first picked up a paintbrush to begin creating my Sheffield Wednesday lion and lioness. When I was asked to create these pieces for @SheffChildrens , it was an absolute honour. But for me, this was never simply an art project. It was personal. Incredibly personal. I’m a lifelong @swfc supporter. Football is in our blood, and our club has been part of our family’s story through the good times and the difficult ones. But Sheffield Children’s Hospital is also a huge part of our story. My son spent the first four months of his life in hospital after being born extremely prematurely. Over the years, he’s been what we affectionately call a frequent flyer at Sheffield Children’s, undergoing numerous operations and receiving care from the most remarkable people. They have saved his life more than once. So to be given the opportunity to bring together two institutions that mean so much to my family was something truly special. I poured my heart into every detail of those lions. Every brushstroke was created with pride, love and a real understanding of what both the club and the hospital mean to the people of Sheffield. And then came last night. To hear the auction unfold, to see the generosity shown, and to learn that our new Sheffield Wednesday chairman, @storchyowl , had purchased the lion was overwhelming enough. But to then read his heartfelt public commitment to supporting Sheffield Children’s Hospital, his words about the club, its community and its future, and his incredibly kind recognition of my artwork… well, I’m still trying to take it all in. For me, a football club is about so much more than 90 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. It’s about belonging. It’s about generations of families, shared memories, pride in where we come from and standing together when things get tough. We’ve certainly had our share of tough times at Wednesday. But we believe in our club. We believe in its future. And to have people at the helm who recognise that the heart of a football club is the community surrounding it gives me enormous hope for what comes next. To think that my artwork will continue to be part of Hillsborough, part of our club’s next chapter, and a reminder of the extraordinary work carried out every day at Sheffield Children’s Hospital fills me with a pride I can’t adequately put into words. Thank you to everyone who has followed the lions’ journey, stopped to admire them, taken photographs, shared lovely comments or supported the auction. Thank you to Children’s Hospital and Charity and the Pride of Yorkshire Trail team for trusting me with such a meaningful project. And a heartfelt thank you to David Storch for his generosity, his lovely words and, most importantly, his commitment to a hospital that means the world to so many families, including mine. I’m just a Sheffield lass who loves her football, loves her city and loves creating things. To have been part of something like this is an honour I’ll never forget. Here’s to the future, to our wonderful hospital, to our city and to Sheffield Wednesday. We’re all Wednesday, aren’t we. 💙🦉