We Can Do It Awards: Teddy bear scenes which brightened up lockdown have landed family with the Best Garden award

UNUSUAL sights could be spotted throughout lockdown, as people took daily walks to explore their local area and get some fresh air.
By Belinda Dickins
Published 15th Apr 2021, 17:23 BST
The day the Tregaron Avenue bears visited the pyramids in EgyptThe day the Tregaron Avenue bears visited the pyramids in Egypt
The day the Tregaron Avenue bears visited the pyramids in Egypt

A group of mischievous teddy bears getting up to all sorts of antics drew plenty of visitors in an otherwise ordinary Drayton street, brightening up people’s days.

These adventurous bears have helped the Barber family to win Best Garden in this year’s We Can Do It Awards, run by The News.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

To keep busy during the first lockdown, Michael Barber enlisted the help of his teenage children to put together some interesting scenes in their Tregaron Avenue garden including bears visiting London, at the Egyptian pyramids and even taking on a zipwire.

The Barber family put together amusing bear displays for 64 days during lockdown. Pictured: Michael Barber, with Nicola, Eleanor, Samuel and Lottie on the last dayThe Barber family put together amusing bear displays for 64 days during lockdown. Pictured: Michael Barber, with Nicola, Eleanor, Samuel and Lottie on the last day
The Barber family put together amusing bear displays for 64 days during lockdown. Pictured: Michael Barber, with Nicola, Eleanor, Samuel and Lottie on the last day
Read More
Homemade scenes of bears getting up to antics in Drayton garden bring delight to...

Michael, who was working full time before spending evenings creating these scenes, said: ‘We were really chuffed to do it together as a family and having everyone coming along and looking at it was really quite [good] as well.

‘We started to get hordes of people coming along. The best thing was when people would come along and talk about how they’d managed to get out of the house just to have a look and go back again.’

Michael, with help from wife Nicola and children Eleanor, 19, Samuel, 18, and 15-year-old Lottie, kept up the antics for 64 days before the bears said a final farewell to visitors.

A bear scene created by the Barber Family in Tregaron Avenue, Drayton, when the bears went to LondonA bear scene created by the Barber Family in Tregaron Avenue, Drayton, when the bears went to London
A bear scene created by the Barber Family in Tregaron Avenue, Drayton, when the bears went to London
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The creations drew some interest on Facebook, and some visitors were taking photos to send to family and friends all the way over in Australia.

On being awarded Best Garden, Michael said: ‘We did it because it was a bit of fun at the time but never thought we’d be nominated for an award.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, for 27p a day.

Related topics:London

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.