Paddington Bear to return to Newbury
The statue was vandalised last month
Last updated 8th Apr 2025
A Paddington Bear statue that was ripped from a bench in Newbury is being reinstalled.
A special ceremony is being held on Wednesday (9 April) to welcome the beloved bear back home.
The statue was ripped in half and stolen in the early hours of 2 March by Daniel Heath and William Lawrence.
The RAF engineers both pleaded guilty to criminal damage last month. They were ordered to carry out unpaid work and to pay £2,725 for the repairs.
Newbury has a special connection to Paddington Bear, his creator Michael Bond was born in the town in in 1926. In October 2024 the statue was installed on Northbrook Street in October 2024 to celebrate the release of the film Paddington in Peru.
Ben Beardmore-Gray, Marketing Manager at Newbury BID, said:
“We have received so many lovely messages from parents who wanted to share how much their children have been missing Paddington, and we are delighted to announce that Paddington is finally ready for his much-anticipated return to Newbury.
The reinstallation offers a unique opportunity for us to provide a special moment that parents can share with their children, so we’d like to invite any families along on the day to join us welcoming Paddington home.”
As part of the unveiling children are being encouraged to write letters welcoming Paddington back to Newbury.
The ceremony will begin on Northbrook Street at 11:30.