This is a short note about a number of lost or abandoned teddies; it tells a slightly eccentric story and in so doing it reflects an enduring and interesting feature of English culture:
And so, today, I learned that unclaimed teddy bears found on ‘First Great Western’ trains are be donated to children’s charities following an unsuccessful campaign to reunite them with their owners.
The company launched a media campaign in November 2014, but has so far been unable to reunite a single toy with its owner.
There are currently more than 40 soft toys in its lost property. All waiting, all still waiting …
The train company has even taken ‘mug shots’ and posted these onto social media sites in the increasingly forlorn hope that the soft toys will be recognised and then successfully returned to their rightful homes. However, the mug shots do suggest that the toys might be criminals – criminals in the soft-toy underworld.
Footnote: There’s even a Paddington bear wearing a blue duffle coat (who was found in Reading on a day in October 2014.)
Go Ask Alice 