Britannia the lion, who for the last five years has guarded the door at Britannia Leatherbarrows’ head office in Bournemouth, has been given a new job: patrolling Bournemouth Hospital’s newly completed Orchard Garden.
The lion was originally part of the Pride in Bournemouth event in 2011, which featured work from some of the area’s leading artists. The lion pack brightened up the streets of Bournemouth throughout that summer before being auctioned off to raise money for the Born Free projects in Kenya and Ethiopia.
Andrea Piédôt, Corporate Fundraising Officer for Bournemouth Hospital Charity said, “Bournemouth Hospital Charity is delighted Britannia Leatherbarrows has loaned us this wonderful lion 'Britannia'. She is an eye catching feature in the new Orchard Garden where patients can escape the clinical setting for a while: she has become the talk of the hospital.”
Darren Vale, Self-Storage Manager for Britannia Leatherbarrows said, “Leatherbarrows has a fantastic relationship with Bournemouth Hospital and has done for many years now, not just that they use our storage services, but many of the Leatherbarrows team have close ties personally to this hospital. We just hope the lion adds some extra colour and joy to this already beautiful area.”
The lion’s creator, artist Hazel Evans, used the theme of travel as the main inspiration for the decoration, with a Union Flag on the mane flowing down the body and blending into flags of different countries.
Photo: Darren Vale, Self Storage Manager for Britannia Leatherbarrows and Andrea Piédôt, Corporate Fundraising Officer for Bournemouth Hospital Charity.