 | | One of Barbara's teddy bears |
After the war, Colonel Henderson dedicated his life to collecting bears. In 1962 Bob Henderson founded the Teddy Bear Club and later ran the UK branch of the charitable organisation "Good Bears of the World", who send out Teddy bears to children in need all over the world. This is just one of the many stories that local bear lover, artist and collector Barbara Ann Harding from Stalybridge loves to tell. Barbara says that she has enjoyed collecting teddy bears for many years, making the occasional bear for friends and relatives. Then in 2003 Barbara decided to start going to Fairs and now runs her own bear making company called 'Teds of the Riverbank'. Barbara's passion for her bears is evident through the enthusiasm she shows in her story telling. "There was an Australian chap who's a billionaire who was at a meeting one night and just happened to have a pin in his coat. The Archbishop of Sydney asked what the pin was for and he was told that it was a silver teddy bear". The two then exchanged
stories about their teddy bear collections.
 | | Actor Robert Morley |
The billionaire told of his £30,000 teddy bear that he'd just flown over in Concorde. He was trying to put it into the overhead locker when a Steward suggested that it would be cruel to put him up there and found him a seat next to veteran screen actor Robert Morley who agreed to have him next to him if "it was a very expensive bear". Throughout the flight the bear was given just as much fuss, food and champagne as his famous companion. At the end of the flight Robert Morley said that he'd be happy to fly with the bear at anytime! Barbara says that you never see a sad bear collector and that people's faces light up when they spot a bear in a shop window. "I've actually sat in bear shops and watched people looking really glum and fed up on horrible days in winter", says Barbara. "They stop and look and you can see this beaming smile come across their faces." Do you have a teddy bear? Why not send us a picture and we'll add it to our bear gallery - See Also 'Teddy Bear Gallery' for details. | 
