Vandalised Paddington statue to return

A Paddington statue that was ripped from a bench by two RAF engineers is to be reinstalled.

The homage to the famous bear has been repaired and repainted and will be unveiled during a ceremony in Newbury, Berkshire, on Wednesday.

Part of the statue was removed and taken in the early hours of 2 March by Daniel Heath, from Thornton, near Bradford in West Yorkshire, and William Lawrence, from Enderby, Leicestershire.

The pair, both 22 and based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, admitted criminal damage and were ordered to carry out unpaid work as well as pay £2,725 to cover the cost of repairs.

The Paddington statue was vandalised in March

William Lawrence (left) and Daniel Heath took the statue in a taxi back to RAF Odiham, their court case heard

The statue was originally unveiled in the hometown of Paddington creator Michael Bond in October 2024.

It was one of dozens put up across the UK as part of the Paddington Visits trail to celebrate the film, Paddington in Peru.

The repaired bear will be unveiled by Ian Batho and Ashley Morris from Newbury Business Improvement District (BID).

Ben Beardmore-Gray, marketing manager at Newbury BID, said: "We have received so many lovely messages from parents who wanted to share how much their children have been missing Paddington... we are delighted to announce that Paddington is finally ready for his much-anticipated return to Newbury.

"The reinstallation offers a unique opportunity for us to provide a special moment that parents can share with their children, so we'd like to invite any families along on the day to join us welcoming Paddington home."

As part of the unveiling, children are being encouraged to write a letter welcoming Paddington back to Newbury.

They can be delivered to a special postbox next to his bench between 10:00 and 14:00 BST on Wednesday.

The unveiling ceremony will begin on Northbrook Street at 11:30.

Since the removal, Paddington's place has been held by a sign saying he had to leave "on a short adventure"