Our Born into a City of Culture project reached its exciting half way stage, as panel number 6 of 12, representing June, was erected in the entrance to the Women and Children’s Hospital earlier today.

The project involves taking the footprint of every baby born in Hull in 2017 and using these images to create a unique piece of artwork. The babies’ footprints represent leaves, while midwives handprints also feature as the trunks of the trees.

Every month, a new panel is installed, and to mark the half way point, a mum and baby born in each of the first six months of the year were invited back for a mini celebration this morning. The artwork to date features more than 2,300 baby footprints, and will be complete by January 2018.

Vicky Turner (pictured far right) is mum to Travis, who is almost seven weeks old and whose footprint features in the June panel. She says:

“We’re really proud to be a part of this project. It’s great to know that Travis’s footprint is up there on the wall, and it’s lovely to have the midwives’ represented on the artwork too. Their hand prints show the journey that they’ve been on as well, helping young babies to grow and keeping all of us safe.”

The Born into a City of Culture project is supported by the Hull 2017 Creative Communities programme.

Postcards featuring images of the baby footprint panels are available for sale within the Women and Children’s Hospital, priced £1 each. Each postcard represents two months (January and February; March and April; and the latest is May and June) and the whole set will be complete in 6 postcards.