World's most famous bear comes to Salisbury

We can sit down for lunch with Paddington Bear

Author: Aaron HarperPublished 11th Oct 2024

A famous film star has come to visit Salisbury.

Paddington Bear is sitting on bench in Fisherton Street, with a marmalade sandwich, as part of 'Paddington Visits'.

It's ahead of his latest outing on the big screen, Paddington In Peru, which releases in UK cinema's next month.

The hand crafted statue of the nations favourite bear is one of 23 across the country, and there's space for friends, family and fans to stop to share a bite with him.

The children had lots of hugs for Paddington - and of course a jar of marmalade!

Mayor of Salisbury, Sven Hocking said it was a privilege to unveil Paddington.

He said: "Not many people get to unveil a staue of the worlds most famous bear, do they? And not many cities and towns in the country have got one, so that speaks volumes about Salisbury as venue for tourists and residents to come and have a look."

Councillor Ian Blair-Pilling, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Communities, Leisure and Libraries at Wiltshire Council, told us Paddington had to visit Salisbury as part of the trail of bears.

He told Greatest Hits Radio: "It leads from John O'Groats, through London, down to the West Country and into Ireland. If you've only got 23 along that route, one them has to be Salisbury!"

Cllr Blair-Pilling added: "A film star in Salisbury! How fantastic is that? He's amazing, the children absolutely warmed to him."

Mayor Hocking said that statue, which can be found on Fisherton Street opposite Salisbury Playhouse, looked 'special'.

"It's hand painted, lots of detail, looks really good - even looks like there's some marmalade dripping out of his sandwich!"

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.