Paddington Bears donated to children's charity

Paddington Bear Donated
Author: Louise EastonPublished 18th Nov 2022

More than a thousand Paddington bears are being given to the children's charity Barnardo's.

They were left outside royal residences following the Queen's death and have all been professionally cleaned.

The Queen consort will hand them over after attending a teddy bears picnic in north east London, alongside stars of the film including Hugh Bonneville and Madeleine Harris who played Judy.

The picnic is being held at Bow Nursery, which is run by the charity and Camilla will also be joined by staff and children supported by the site for marmalade sandwiches.

Paddington author Michael Bond's daughter Karen Jankel for whom he wrote the original stories, will also attend.

It comes after Camilla was pictured surrounded by teddies in a photo taken on October 13 to mark the 64th anniversary of the publication of the first Paddington Bear book.

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee sketch in the summer saw the Peruvian bear visit Buckingham Palace for afternoon tea, during which the Queen produced a marmalade sandwich from her handbag.

It prompted mourners to leave teddy bears and even some marmalade sandwiches among the floral tributes which amassed outside royal residences following her death.

In 2016, the Queen passed the patronage of Barnardo's to Camilla, who was then the Duchess of Cornwall.

Barnardo's chief executive Lynn Perry said: "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was Barnardo's patron for over 30 years, and we are honoured to be able to give homes to the teddies that people left in her memory.

"We promise to look after these bears which will be well-loved and bring joy to the children we support.

"We are incredibly grateful to Her Majesty The Queen Consort for her support in helping us to raise awareness of the needs of vulnerable children and young people in the UK so that we can continue to support them through our vital services."

Tom Jarvis, director of parks at the Royal Parks charity, said: "Over the last few weeks we have been looking for a fitting and appropriate use for the hundreds of teddy bears that were left in Green Park and Hyde Park to honour the Queen.

"We are delighted that the teddy bears will now bring joy and comfort to hundreds of children supported by Barnardo's."

Buckingham Palace said the teddies were being "well looked after" at the palace, Clarence House and in the Royal Parks nursery in Hyde Park.

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