Sheffield Theatres is delighted to be a sponsor for The Children’s Hospital Charity’s Bears of Sheffield, and will proudly display ‘Two Heads are Better Than One’ Bear outside the Crucible during the trail from Monday 12 July – Saturday 29 September, alongside hosting the Bears of Sheffield Auction on Monday 18 October.

After hosting the Herd of Sheffield elephant auction back in 2016, Sheffield Theatres will be offering the Crucible stage to host this year’s auction of over 60 large bears, which will be sold to raise funds to improve facilities at Sheffield Children’s Hospital Cancer and Leukaemia Ward.

Alongside the Sheffield Theatres sponsored bear, there will be two other large bears taking residence on Tudor Square for the duration of the trail: ‘Snoobear’ and ‘Bare Necessities’. In addition, there will also be three smaller bears displayed at the Crucible Box Office, designed and decorated by Stocksbridge High School, Greengate Lane Academy and Stradbroke Primary School.

The bear sculptures – based on the well-known bear in Sheffield’s Botanical Garden bear pit – have been individually designed by professional artists far and wide, both locally and internationally renowned. Each one has been sponsored by businesses and individuals to support the project and contribute towards vital fundraising.

Dan Bates, Chief Executive of Sheffield Theatres said:

‘It’s always our pleasure to be able to provide a home for this auction – the elephants took well to treading the Crucible boards, so we hope the bears will follow in their footsteps! It is a delight to welcome people to Tudor Square for this part of the Bear Trail and it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to support Sheffield Children’s Hospital.’

As well as hosting the bears’ auction, the Learning team from Sheffield Theatres have teamed up with CreateSheffield, MuseumsSheffield and Site Gallery to host Let’s Get Arty with a Bear Trail Party: a series of creative activities for young people to support in achieving an Arts Award Discover. On Saturday 17 July from 11am – 3pm in the Millennium Galleries, each company will devise and produce and an activity with the Bear’s as a theme. With the help of Sheffield Theatres, participants can create their own story for Bears of Sheffield and act out their script with performers on a stage. The Bear Trail party is bookable here.

Crucible Corner, Sheffield Theatres’ bar restaurant, will also be offering deals for anyone taking part in the trail which runs across Tudor Square. More information can be found via the Bears of Sheffield App once the trail has started, or by asking a member of Crucible Corner staff on your visit.


The Bears of Sheffield trail begins on Monday 12 July across locations in Sheffield. For more information about where to find the bears and how to support with fundraising, please visit tchc.org.uk.