From 17 July to 13 September, visitors can discover Are You Teddy to Rock outside Dartford Football Club, where the striking black, red and gold sculpture will be one of 30 giant bears and 50 smaller cubs bringing colour, creativity and community spirit to Dartford and Bluewater.

Created by children’s book illustrator Hannah Jayne Lewin and sponsored by Dartford Football Club, the eye-catching sculpture spent a week taking over Hannah’s garage, much to the curiosity of her cat, Wilbur, while Hannah transformed it into its striking rock star design.

For Hannah, taking part in the project was about far more than painting another sculpture.

Having previously created a bear for Leeds Hospitals Charity Bear Hunt Trail, she was keen to support ellenor’s trail when the opportunity arose. The project held special meaning, as both of her grandmothers had cancer and died during the Covid pandemic.

She said: “I like what ellenor do. It’s always nice to be involved in a project where the charity cares for people and helps them through diagnosis and illness. It’s the little things like having your favourite meal cooked and having your nails cleaned, being shown compassion and looked after in the final weeks of your life.

“Even though ellenor is not local to me these are still people going through difficult times and coming to terms with changes in their health. I feel passionate about being involved in a project which is like the one which helped my grandparents.”

The 30-year-old artist heard about the project through Wild in Art and was delighted to be selected.

She hopes families following the trail will enjoy exploring Dartford and discovering the creativity behind each sculpture while supporting ellenor.

Hannah said: “It’s nice to know the bear is going to be somewhere where it will be seen. People will spot all these bears around the place and wonder what it’s all about, and that is what you want – for people to notice.

“What’s good about the trail is that it’s free so it’s inclusive and it will be accessible. It’s for all the family from toddlers to grandparents.”

Knowing visitors would be exploring Dartford on foot, Hannah wanted her bear to celebrate the town’s connection with The Rolling Stones.

“Well, I did some research about the Dartford area and found out some of the members of The Rolling Stones were born and bred there,” she said.

“I decided to do a rock star design and thought about the different things I could include. Of course, I had to avoid close depictions of the Stones but tried to still capture a rock star vibe or something that embodied it.”

Using recycled emulsion paint and metallic gold acrylic, Hannah carefully brought her design to life, with every detail painted by hand.

She said: “The emulsion was from ‘Seagulls,’ a shop in Leeds which recycles paint, which is great as it stops lots of paint going to waste. I used a mini roller to apply some of the block colours and the end of a paint brush shaped like a fork to get the fine hairy details of the bear’s fur.”

The finished sculpture is full of carefully crafted details, from its star-shaped eyes and confident swagger to a stylish outfit adorned with drums, microphones and a keyboard necktie. Every element was designed to capture the energy and attitude of a rock star while celebrating Dartford’s musical heritage.

Hannah said. “I used a variety of tools and implements to create texture alongside paint brushes for the finer detail.”

Alongside illustrating children’s books, she also creates sculptures for public art trails across the UK. Hannah has now designed and painted 40 sculptures for art trails all over the UK.

She said: “It’s nice to have variety of work from projects at my desk to sculptures. I often have sculptures at home, which I am painting for charity art trails or private commissions. I use the garage or the conservatory if I need better light. I have had quite a lot of sculptures this year.”

“I knew I wanted to work in children’s publishing,” she said. “It’s taken a while as there’s a lot of competition, but some lovely opportunities have come my way over the past few years. I really enjoy drawing and painting and being creative.”

Each of the 30 giant bears on Dartford – We’re Going on a Bear Hunt has been individually designed by professional artists, while 50 smaller cub sculptures have been decorated by local schools and community groups. Together, they celebrate creativity, community spirit and the people and places that make Dartford unique.

Visitors can find Are You Teddy to Rock outside Dartford Football Club from 17 July as part of Dartford – We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.

Running until 13 September across Dartford and Bluewater, the free family art trail is expected to attract more than 250,000 visitors, encouraging families and friends to discover the area while raising vital funds and awareness for ellenor.

To find out more about the trail, visit Dartford We’re Going on a Bear Hunt 2026 – Art Trail