Village statue stripped bare of its Easter trimmings
DECORATING OF BEAR APPEARS TO ATTRACT VANDALS LATELY
A VILLAGE’s bear statue was stripped of an Easter outfit that a young girl had spent two days of her school holidays creating.
Madison Forrester was left sad and disappointed after the Easter bonnet and garland she had made to display proudly on the landmark in Hugglescote went missing soon after she had adorned it.
The statue at the entrance to the village is often decorated for different occasions, such as Christmas, Hallowe’en and Easter, but some locals are now becoming disenchanted with the idea, with decorations having also been pulled down in the past.
The nine-year-old also coloured individual eggs to use as bunting around the bottom of the sculpture.
However, on Easter Monday evening, Madison’s mum Hayley was shocked to find that most of the decorations were no longer there.
Hayley said: “People love seeing the bear decorated for all the different occasions, and the comments are very positive – we always take a picture of the bear once we have completed it.
“Madison loves to put a smile on people’s faces in the community and that’s what she achieves every time.”
She added: “When I told Madison they were gone, she was so disappointed and sad.
“They definitely hadn’t blown away. I looked everywhere and anyway we had tied them so tightly with colourful string.”
Some villagers suspect that the young girl’s decorations were stolen after similar incidents which happened last Christmas and also at Hallowe’en.
One posted on social media: “Why can’t people just leave things alone? Absolutely disgusting.
“This really saddens me when something positive has been made into a negative. Whoever has done this should be ashamed of themselves.”
Another said: “What’s wrong with these people? I think it’s great what you are doing for every celebration. It brings a smile to people’s faces. That’s what we all need.”
Another woman said she was fed up, adding: “This is why I said
I’d never decorate the bear again after my son did it three times for the last World Cup.
“Every time the flags and bunting were all ripped down or taken.”
But Madison says she won’t give up and will continue to decorate the village bear.
The Hugglescote bear was erected in 2008 near the town’s gateway to celebrate the legend of how the village got its name. According to myth, hundreds of years ago, when brown bears were still releatively common on these shores, a villager named Huggle was chased by one. As his heavy coat was slowing him down, he threw it off and the bear became distracted by it, turning its attention to the coat instead and allowing Huggle to escape.
As the story became popular in the area, the village was named Hugglescote.
This really saddens me when something positive has been made into a negative
Villager