Olympic champion and Sheffield sporting icon Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill has praised a striking portrait sculpture, created in her honour for the Pride of Yorkshire trail.

Dame Jessica, who has been a patron of Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity since 2006, visited the Pride of Yorkshire artists’ studio in Sheffield to meet Doncaster-based artist Natasha Clarke, and see the lioness featuring her portrait for the first time.

The sculpture shows an athletic Dame Jessica emerging from the body of the lioness.

Seeing the portrait up close, Dame Jessica told the artist: “You’ve really captured me – that is my face! It’s absolutely beautiful and I feel really honoured. I can’t wait to see it out on the streets, and to come and do the trail with my family.”

Artist Natasha Clarke said the design felt like a natural choice for the project. “As a patron of Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill felt like the perfect fit – an Olympic athlete and an inspirational woman in her own right,” she said.

“She also shares a similar mixed heritage to me, with Jamaican roots, so it felt like a really natural connection.”

Clarke, who usually works as a traditional oil painter, said creating the sculpture pushed her artistic practice into new territory.

“The scariest part about painting a portrait is capturing someone’s likeness, but quite early on people walking past the studio window were peering in and saying ‘that’s Dame Jessica’, which was really reassuring. It’s a huge relief that Jess seemed to love it too.”

Cheryl Davidson, Project Lead for Pride of Yorkshire, said: “Dame Jessica is an inspirational patron and a true champion of our region. Seeing her honoured through Pride of Yorkshire is incredibly fitting, and we’re excited for people across South Yorkshire to discover the sculpture when the trail launches this summer.”

The sculpture will form part of Pride of Yorkshire, a major public art trail celebrating 150 years of Sheffield Children’s Hospital, which will see 150 large lion sculptures and 150 cubs installed across Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster from June to September. 

After the trail, the sculptures will be auctioned to raise money for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, helping to fund life-saving treatment and care for young patients.