After sleepover in cafe, beloved bear has returned
By Violet Brown
THE ‘phenomenon’ that is the Paddington Bear statue in Newtownards is back on his park bench after being maliciously uprooted by vandals.
The four bolts securing the statue to a bench in Conway Square were removed and he was found lying face down on nearby grass by a local restaurant manager as she left work on Thursday night.
Carla Colman, manager of Del Piero’s Urban, found Paddington as she left work at 10pm and with no way of securing the statue, she brought him into her restaurant for a sleepover until Carla could alert the council on Friday morning.
The following morning Carla went over to the Town Hall to report the incident and council workers secured him back on his bench that morning using extra bolts.
The Paddington statue, the only one in Northern Ireland to mark the opening of the new Paddington film, has been an instant hit in the town with people travelling many miles to have their photo taken with the iconic children’s character.
Throughout the weekend Carla has been inundated with people coming into the shop to thank her for saving Paddington.
“One little girl came down from Londonderry and brought me a card she had made herself,” she said. “Out of all the things the council have done for the town, Paddington has brought in the most footfall.”
A council spokeswoman said the matter has been reported to the PSNI. “There are chips to the paintwork but there were already some marks in place prior to this incident,” he said. “The necessary repairs will be carried out.”
Derek Wright, the President of Ards Chamber of Trade, described Paddington Bear as a ‘phenomenon’ for Newtownards.
“There has been a constant queue of people wanting to get their photo taken with Paddington,” he said. “We always thought he would be popular, but we never thought he would have made such an impact.”
Mr Wright said the feature was a major tourist attraction with people from across Northern Ireland and visitors from the Republic of Ireland coming to the town to see Paddington.
“We have seen an increase in footfall in and around Conway Square – he has brought joy to so many people,” he said. “He has attracted all ages – there are as many 70 year-olds as seven year-olds coming to visit him.”
Many people have asked why Paddington came to Newtownards. “Our answer has been ‘why wouldn’t he’ come to one of the major shopping towns in Northern Ireland”, Mr Wright said. “He can sit in the busy town centre with a wonderful view of Scrabo Tower and watch the world go by”.
A family fun day has been planned for Newtownards this Saturday to coincide with the release of the family adventure film ‘Paddington in Peru’ on Friday.
“The traders are delighted to see Paddington Bear reinstalled and are looking forward to this Saturday when Newtownards celebrates with all the Paddington Bear fans,” Mr Wright said.
The manager of Newtownards market, Clive O’Neill has commended the council for ‘taking up the challenge’ and bringing Paddington Bear to Newtownards.
“He is brilliant – everyone is talking about him”, he said. “People are coming from all over to see him and bringing their grandparents, children and pets to have their photo taken with him.”
Branding Paddington’s uprooting last week as ‘disgraceful’ he commended the manager of Del Piero’s who ‘had the sense to bring him in for safety’. Mr O’Neill wants the council to be more proactive in safeguarding Paddington to avoid the ‘risk of this happening again’.
Newtownards alderman, Stephen McIlveen said he was pleased to see Paddington Bear back in position so that others can enjoy his visit to Newtownards.
“The appearance of Paddington in Conway Square has brought an enormous amount of joy and interest with people travelling from all over Northern Ireland to be photographed next to him,” he said. “It is so disappointing that mindless vandals seem to get their kicks from trying to wreck something that has been so positive.”
Speaking of his own children’s ‘delight’ at visiting Paddington, Mr McIlveen said waiting in line to see him ‘raised smiles’ at the sight of people who had dressed up for the occasion with some bringing their own marmalade sandwiches.
Peninsula alderman Robert Adair has united with others to condemn the removal of Paddington as ‘a shameful act of vandalism’ and has called on those responsible to consider their needless actions.
