Sunday January 12 2025
Swindon & Wiltshire News
Sculptures of beloved children’s character Paddington Bear have been installed around the UK – including Newbury, the birthplace of creator Michael Bond – to promote a new movie.
Twenty three of the sculptures have been installed across the country as part of the Paddington Visits trail – a promotional tool by StudioCanal for the new movie Paddington in Peru, and a draw for tourists as fans are invited to visit them all.
The sculpture has Paddington dressed in his trademark blue duffel coat and red hat and, of course, munching on a marmalade sandwich.
Warwick Heskins, chairman of Newbury BID said: “Newbury BID are excited to welcome home Paddington, and are delighted to be part of Paddington Visits, the UK and Ireland trail.
“We are looking forward to the national and international tourism offer that Paddington will bring to our town.
“Our businesses are thrilled to hear about the installation and the economic uplift. Now where are the marmalade sandwiches?”
Ellie Burke from Salisbury BID, said: We’re thrilled to be part of the Paddington Visits trail, and have been working hard with Wiltshire Council and StudioCanal to bring this beloved icon to the heart of Salisbury.
“Paddington’s visit will not only draw fans of all ages to our city but also provide a fun and memorable way to explore Salisbury’s heritage and vibrant community.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase what our local businesses and city has to offer.”
Michael Bond was born in Newbury in 1926, and raised in Reading. He was inspired to write about the anthropomorphised spectacled bear from “darkest Peru” after seeing British evacuees and Jewish refugee children at arriving at Reading Station during the Second World War.
The first Paddington book – A Bear Called Paddington – was published in 1958, and the character has appeared in 29 books in total. The last was published in 2018, a year after Bond’s death.
In 1976 the accident-prone bear became a TV star, with his exploits broadcast as a memorable series of stop-motion animations by the BBC.
The first live-action Paddington film was released by StudioCanal in 2014, with a sequel coming out in 2017.
Other locations of Paddington sculptures include Land’s End, John O’ Groats, and London Paddington railway station.
The Newbury Paddington can be found outside department store Camp Hopson on Northbrook Street. In Reading, he can be found outside Waterstones on Bond Street, and in Salisbury he’s outside the old Infirmary on Fisherton Street.
Pictured: Paddington in Newbury, courtesy of StudioCanal
Latest: Campaign launched to bring Paddington to Bristol
