A total of 70 sculptures of Aardman Animations’ Shaun the Sheep will be grazing all over Bristol as part of the trail, before being auctioned to raise funds for The Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children’s Hospital charity.

Speaking about why the world-famous, Bristol-based, health-research project decided to sponsor a sheep, Lynn Molloy, executive director of Children of the 90s, said:

Our research looks at the causes of ill health and its roots in pregnancy and childhood in over 14,500 people in and around Bristol and Weston, so teaming up with The Grand Appeal makes perfect sense to us.

Over the years, many of our participants have been treated at Bristol Children’s Hospital, so this is our way of giving something back to the community that has been so supportive of Children of the 90s for more than two decades.

In recent years many of our participants have started having children of their own, known as COCO90s – the children of the Children of the 90s – and we are sure that Rex will appeal to many of them and, indeed, to the child in all of us!

This summer also sees the launch of a new data collection sweep on the original children, now aged 22–24. This will involve 5,000 participants taking part in a wide range of tests, scans and interviews to see how their health has changed and developed since they were born.

Find out about all the work that goes on behind the scenes at Children of the 90s by following @stretchygene on Twitter.

Artist Beth Waters said:

As a child who grew up in the 90s myself, I am delighted that Children of the 90s chose to become the sponsors for Rex! Health and research are hugely important, and my dad, who Rex is dedicated to, was a doctor, so the cause is close to my heart. It is my hope that Rex will bring a smile to all those who visit him, regardless of their age!

To find out more about Shaun in the City, visit www.shauninthecity.org.uk.