A very special Bear will be giving cricket fans and visitors a warm welcome to Edgbaston over the next 10 weeks as part of the Big Sleuth bear hunt across Birmingham, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and the Black Country.
Edgbaston is known as the home of the Bears, the nickname of Warwickshire County Cricket Club and Birmingham Bears, and throughout July and August it will proudly display Woakesy Bear; one of The Big Sleuth bears that is themed on Warwickshire CCC, Birmingham Bears and England cricket star Chris Woakes.
As the home of the Bears, we were delighted here at Edgbaston to get behind The Big Sleuth, a great community initiative promoting health and wellbeing to thousands of local people, who will make their way around the trail throughout the 10-week period.
Ravi Masih
Woakesy Bear incorporates the shirts and crests of Warwickshire CCC and Birmingham Bears, a picture of Edgbaston Stadium and Chris’ name and number 19 on the back. It was designed by Warwickshire CCC First Team Coach Jim Troughton, and then brought to life as a Bear by Solihull-based artist Megan Evans.
Ravi Masih, Head of Community Engagement at Warwickshire CCC, said: “As the home of the Bears, we were delighted here at Edgbaston to get behind The Big Sleuth, a great community initiative promoting health and wellbeing to thousands of local people, who will make their way around the trail throughout the 10-week period.
“Edgbaston hosts a huge programme of cricket during The Big Sleuth, with the NatWest T20 Blast group games, Finals Day and England’s first Day/Night Investec Test match set to bring more than a combined audience of more than 150,000 people, who will all be greeted by Woakesy Bear on arrival.”
Presented by Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, in partnership with creative producers Wild in Art, The Big Sleuth will see 100 personally designed bear statues appearing throughout Birmingham from Monday 10 July. It follows the The Big Hoot which attracted more than 800,000 visitors and in total raised over £625,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity in 2015.
“We are so excited that the hundreds of stunning bears have now prowled into Birmingham and nestled into their new dens – filling the streets, parks and open places in the region with colour,” commented Louise McCathie, Director of Fundraising at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
“The Big Sleuth offers families a free and fun day out, exploring areas of our city they may never have visited before, with the added bonus of helping them to stay active. The money raised during the campaign will provide vital funds needed to make a real difference to all the children treated at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.”
For further information and to get involved in The Big Sleuth, please visit www.thebigsleuth.co.uk or follow @TheBigSleuth on Twitter.
