Meet Hanah - the winner of Leeds Children's Hospital bear cub design competition

Hanah Jomon’s colourful bear design will be brought to life after winning a competition for young patients at Leeds Children’s Hospital

The 10-year-old has been announced as the winner of Leeds Hospital’s Charity bear cub design competition as part of the 2023 Leeds Bear Hunt, a large-scale public art event of giant bear sculptures sploshing across Leeds from July, to raise money for Leeds Children’s Hospital.

Hanah wowed the judges with her vibrant and colourful design, which she says calls on people with different attitudes to be kind to each other to create a “colourful” society.

The competition was for young patients receiving care at Leeds Children’s Hospital and winning means Hanah will see her design displayed on one of 50 bear cubs, along with 35 giant bear sculptures, taking visitors and local people on a fun-filled adventure this summer.

The trail, which is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors, will support Leeds Hospitals Charity to raise £300,000 to help improve the lives of young patients undergoing treatment and care at Leeds Children’s Hospital.

Having been diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Hanah has been a patient at Leeds Children’s Hospital for the last two years and visits the hospital regularly for treatment to help control her pain and prevent further damage.

She loves spending time with the staff with the hospital staff who work hard to provide Hanah and her family with the best care and support.

Paul Watkins, Director of Fundraising at Leeds Hospitals Charity, said: “We loved reviewing all the amazing entries that were submitted for our design competition and I’d like to say a huge thank you to all the children that took part.

"We are so pleased to bring Hanah’s creative vison to life which not only is spectacular to look at but has such an inspirational and important message behind it.”

Leeds Hospitals Charity has launched a poetry competition to celebrate the messages of courage, bravery and resilience which are woven into Michael Rosen’s iconic ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ story.

The winner will have a face-to-face meeting with Michael Rosen and their poem will be displayed in Leeds Children’s Hospital as a legacy of the Leeds Bear Hunt art trail.

You can enter the competition here.