Giant image sharing startling message is painted on Calderdale hillside for World Children’s Day

A huge piece of artwork has been created in Hebden Bridge as part of a project with an important message.
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Professional land artists from Sand In Your Eye have produced a project called the ‘6000 Children’ where they have painted 6000 life size figures of playing children that when viewed from the sky will form a child’s face.

Unveiled ahead of World Children’s Day (November 20), the image, which covers 11,000 square metres and is 110m long symbolises UNICEF’s warning that globally, due to the pandemic, an additional 6,000 child deaths could occur every day as a result of weak health systems and disruptions to routine services like vaccines.

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“As parents ourselves of young children, we were distressed to hear that so many children could lose their lives from preventable causes in the UK and abroad. Statistics like 6000 children losing their lives are difficult to comprehend so we decided that would paint them so people can see what that number really looks like,” said Jamie and Claire Wardley

Picture: Sand In Your EyePicture: Sand In Your Eye
Picture: Sand In Your Eye

Rebecca Dallison, Head of Campaigns, UNICEF UK said: “The pandemic is the most urgent global crisis affecting children’s lives in living memory. Around the world and here in the UK, children’s support systems have been ripped away, their borders closed, their education and access to routine health care disrupted and their food supply cut off.

“This art installation draws attention to the worst-case scenario for ‘generation COVID’. But this nightmare can be averted if urgent action is taken. The UK Government can take leadership in delivering those solutions by placing children at the center of its recovery plan – both at home and abroad.”

A small team made the image on a hillside in Hebden Bridge over three days to be ready for World Children’s day today (Thursday) to highlight the challenges faced by children around the world, calling on global leaders to include their needs in global recovery plans from the pandemic.

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The project is produced by Sand In Your Eye and supported by UNICEF, Bezmond films, Old Chamber Farm & Camping, Grass Line and Spray Plant. The art piece was made following government guidelines.