Teddy bear sale to do 'lasting good' for Herefordshire wildlife

A widower says he hopes his wife's collection of 4,000 teddy bears will do "lasting good" for wildlife.

Susan Collard, from Hereford, collected the toys over more than 20 years before her death from sepsis in February.

She chose to bequeath the bears to Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, with the first auction expected to raise up to £70,000.

Her husband, Les, 84, said Sue would have been "very happy" to see the collection helping the natural world.

Hundreds of bears are still at Mr Collard's Hereford home

Mr Collard said his wife had been a "very skilled" craftsperson, and had created wooden hearts for each bear with their name and some information about where they were purchased, also embroidering clothes for others.

They met at a dancing school when Sue was 15 and married when she was 17.

She bought their first bear, Rupert, for Mr Collard's 50th birthday in 1988, and a few years later began their collection in earnest, keeping a detail record of each toy.

"Every bear was loved, even if it cost 20p as against nearly £1,000 - they were all equal," Mr Collard said.

As for the choice of beneficiary, he explained: "We loved the Herefordshire countryside, Sue loved wildlife, she loved gardening.

"There are so many charities around but this is a charity where... there will be something there forever. It doesn't have to be in Sue's name, it is just that the money from the auction will purchase something that will help the planet."

Les and Sue Collard had been married for 58 years

The most valuable of the bears, some of which are estimated to fetch between £1,000 and £1,200, will be sold by Special Auction Services in Newbury, Berkshire, on 8 December.

The couple chose teddy bear specialist Daniel Agnew to sell the toys on their behalf, as he had helped them add to their collection, meeting them while working for Christie's auction house.

Daniel Agnew had known the couple for many years

"A lot of people collect teddy bears but not to this extent," Mr Agnew said.

"It is a huge cross section, it is not all the expensive, really top-end bears, it is bears by all makers from all countries, it is like a little museum.

"I think she is probably one of the real collectors out there."

Rupert was the first bear purchased by Mrs Collard, and Mr Collard said he intended to keep him

Mr Agnew said following the initial auction, the remainder of the bears would be spread over sales in 2023.

Frances Weeks said the sale would be a "great boost"

The Wildlife Trust said half of the money raised would go towards its land purchase fund, with the rest to contribute to work to restore habitats across Herefordshire.

Frances Weeks, communications and marketing manager from the charity, said: "It is such a special collection.

"We are really touched they chose to give the money raised to us."