How a Harrogate artist is helping to give cancer the boot

When Fiona Green visited Castle Howard, she was stunned to discover a sculpture dedicated to people living with and after cancer in Yorkshire.

Having lived with cancer for 12 years, the 51-year-old from Harrogate was especially touched by the display of 191 stainless-steel wellington boots.

The artwork was created by Yorkshire artist Anita Bowerman as part of Yorkshire Cancer Research’s fundraising campaign ‘Give It Some Welly.’ Each of the wellies had been designed to represent 1,000 people in the region who are currently living with or have survived cancer.

The installation was open to the public this summer on the South Front in the grounds of Castle Howard.

“My husband and I had just bought a new caravan and we’d gone on one of our first outings in it. We’d never been to Castle Howard before and we thought it looked like a lovely place,” says Fiona. “We’d been walking around the gardens when we came across the tree. I saw the wellies and read the sign explaining what they were for and I realised it was about me, because each welly represented somebody that had been affected by cancer in Yorkshire.”

Fiona was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. She was successfully treated and believed she had been cured. But three years ago, she had a chest x-ray which showed cancer in her bones. Last year, doctors found cancer in her other breast.

“Having gone through all that, it was lovely to be able to get away and enjoy life without thinking of treatments – and then my husband pointed out the tree to me,” Fiona explained. “I was blown away by it.”

Fiona was so moved by the art that she set up a fundraiser on her Facebook page, raising more than £350 for research.

“I just thought how lovely it was that somebody had taken the time to think of us. Sometimes it feels like you’re trudging through mud when you’re dealing with cancer, so the welly really meant something to me as a symbol of how my life has been. Then you get sunshine days when you find that somebody like Anita has created something so wonderful.”

Following her fundraising, 
Fiona was invited to visit Anita’s gallery in Harrogate, where she was presented with her very own stainless-steel welly taken from the display.

This October, Yorkshire Cancer Research is challenging people to get on their bike and complete the distance of the chosen Three Swans route anywhere, anytime, with anyone, at your own pace either 30, 60, or 100 miles.

For more information 
visit yorkshirecancerresearch.org.uk.

The stainless-steel wellies are now available to purchase in Yorkshire Cancer Research’s online shop. Visit http://bit.ly/WellySculpture.