Bulls in the City in Bulldmere

Bulls arrived in Boldmere on 13th July 2025 and remained until 14th September 2025 as part of the Bulls in the City trail organised by Birmingham Hospice and Wild-in-Art.

Boldmere received its very own bull ‘Goldmere‘ to add to our existing collection of Boldmere Bear, Perry and Where’s Ellie.

Goldmere now stands proudly outside the Birmingham Hospice Shop.

During the trail, ‘Bulldmere’ hosted the following large bulls:

• Goldmere
  Designed by: Amanda Quellin
  Financed by: Boldmere Futures CIC
  Location: 38 – outside The Deli
• Work Hard, Play Hard
  Designed by Reilly Creative
  Sponsored by: Witton Lodge Community Association
  Location: 39 – outside Boldmere Methodist Church
• Kintsugi
  Designed by: Tim Sutcliffe
  Sponsored by: Embark Learning Care Academy
  Location: 37 – outside Birmingham Hospice Shop

Bulldmere is also hosting the following bull calves as part of the learning and community programme (numbers represent numbers on the map):

Birmingham Hospice shop window (97-98):

• Ozzy (Winning name by Heath)
  Created by Walmley Infant School
• Trinny the Bull
  Created by: Fairfway Healthcare & Embark Learning Academy
  Sponsored by: Trinity Respite Services

Harvester entrance (99):

• Mason
  Created by: Penns Primary School

Aquarius shop window (100):

• Social Teachings
  Created by: Abbey Catholic Primary School

Sutton Runner shop window (101):

• Shakura Stampede
  Created by: Birches Green Primary School

Boldmere Methodist Church main entrance (103-104):

• The Story Teller 
  Created by: Ward End Primary School
• Jigsy
  Created by: Minworth Junior and Infant School

Communitea Café window (102)

• Sir Nansen
  Created by: Nansen Primary School

Roto Spa Showroom window (by Newman Community Centre and Sutton Car Wash – 93-96):

• Benton the Yenton Calf
  Created by: Yenton Primary School
• Billy the Bull
  Created by: Sladefield Infant School
• Boldmere’s Best
  Created by: Boldmere Infant and Nurser School
• Brooding Bennie
  Created by: St Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School

The artists’ ‘blurb’ for each bull

Goldmere

This design is painted to replicate a black and gold marble statue and honour the image of the Bull as an iconic symbol of enduring strength, representing the city of Birmingham. In the art of Kintsugi , gold veining is used to mend an object that becomes damaged or broken rather than discarding or replacing it and by doing so the object becomes stronger, more resilient, and beautiful in the process. The artist is using a black and gold marble to the same effect on this design to represent the symbolic use of the bull in Birmingham.

‘Goldmere’ was a nickname given to ‘Boldmere’ when England’s triathletes won 4 out of 5 gold medals at the triathlon events held in Boldmere for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The gold medal winners were Alex Yee, Katie Crowhurst, David Ellis and the Mixed Team Relay.

Work Hard, Play Hard

With our design we wanted to encapsulate Birmingham city centre. Adorning a stylish suit to represent the Colmore Business District. It’s also covered in paint splatters as a nod to the quirkier side of town, Digbeth. It has never been more important to have a good work life balance and Birmingham provides this in spades. After a hard day at work there are plenty of bars and restaurants as well as an endless list of activities to relax and have fun outside of the office.

Kintsugi

My bull design was painted to look like the Japanese art of Kintsugi which uses gold filler to glue broken pottery back together. The idea is about embracing flaws and imperfections and making a virtue of them. Some Kintsugi pottery is used to mend an existing piece of pottery and sometimes random pieces from multiple sources are used to create a whole new piece, this is the thought behind my design.

Benton the Yenton Calf

Yenton Primary highlights the importance of strong mental well being by using rubber ducks! They signify our sharing of happiness and positivity with everyone. Benton is covered in designs by our children and they have decorated them in their own individual styles celebrating our diversity and talents.

Billy the Bull

Our Bull, decorated for the Birmingham Hospice, embodies Sladefield’s values. As a Gold Rights Respecting School, it features symbols of diversity and inclusion. Reflecting our Eco Award, it includes elements of sustainability and recycled materials. Community spirit is showcased through collaborative artwork from students and staff. Our bull is a vibrant representation of respect for rights, environmental stewardship, wellbeing, and community unity, symbolising Sladefield’s commitment to making a positive impact both within our school and the wider community.

Boldmere’s Best

We want to celebrate the diversity of our school community, recognising that we are all different, unique and special. The children across school, from Nursery to Year 2, have drawn self portraits using tonal crayons. We talked about what makes us so special and the importance of feeling valued in the school community and the wider world.

Brooding Bennie

With Catholic Social Teaching (CST) in mind, we celebrate the amazing world God created. We must show love for the environment and for all who live within it. We take care of the vulnerable and poor in society. We’re all God’s children and must live in solidarity as one.

Growing Together

Our elephant was created by the pupils of Boldmere Primary School and residents of our Sutton Rose Care Home. It’s a colourful celebration of all ages and encapsulates the motto written on the elephants back ‘Growing together’.

Jigsy

This sculpture reflects our school vision – The Minworth Jigsaw. Each child has designed a unique jigsaw piece, celebrating our values: Enthusiasm, Determination, Pride, and Respect. Together, these pieces form a united whole on our bull sculpture, symbolising individuality, connection, and a shared sense of belonging across the Minworth community.

Mason

Mason is the spirit of giving—honouring lives given in war and strength shared on the Home Front, marked by 80 poppies for 80 years since VE Day. We were also inspired by Sir Josiah Mason’s generosity to Birmingham – we hope to follow in his footsteps, giving the kindest version of ourselves to all. Mason also reflects the compassion given at Birmingham Hospice, where time, love and presence mean everything. Every child helped create Mason with the spirit of giving in mind.

Ozzy (Winning name by Heath)

We held a competition to design Ozzy’s coat and Bella was our design winner creating a coat with colourful flowers inspired by flowers growing in the school gardens and wild flowers growing in our playing field. Olivia created our school logo so Ozzy remembers where he lives!

Shakura Stampede

Created by Aisha Savaton & Lujain Abulkadir.
A vibrant, floral-inspired bull sculpture celebrating diversity, creativity, and the joyful energy of summer. Bursting with bold colours and playful patterns, it captures the spirit of freedom and imagination. This design reflects the happiness of self-expression and the beauty of unity through art, bringing smiles to all who see it.

Sir Nansen

Birmingham is one of UK’s most ethnically and culturally diverse city. This diversity fosters vibrant communities, cultural events and traditions from around the world. This creates a dynamic and inclusive atmosphere which mirrors our school’s ethos for embracing and celebrating diversity within the Nansen family which we take great pride in!

Social Teachings

Inspired by Catholic Social Teachings, the pupils of Abbey Catholic Primary school designed their bull to champion; Care for creation, our Rights and Responsibilities and Options for the poor and vulnerable in our society and world.

The Story Teller

At Ward End Primary School we love reading and telling stories. We wanted to use our design to share some of our favourite stories and characters. Can you find your favourite story character here?

Trinny the Bull

We created this sculpture to celebrate individuals with autism, highlighting their unique perspectives and strengths. It aims to raise awareness, foster inclusion, and inspire empathy. Through art, we invite reflection on neurodiversity, encouraging a deeper understanding and appreciation of the diverse experiences within the autism community.