I'm the third person to don the lushly thick bear costume at Bristol's Harbourside where we are campaigning to Save the Arctic. An amazing 1.6 million people have already signed the petition to turn the Arctic into a sanctury and we are armed with a couple of ipads to encourage further sign ups.
The morning was fairly cool, but as midday approaches the temperature starts to creep up, making the wearing of the furry costume a little less 'bearable'! I'm grateful that my co-members have observed personal hygiene practices this morning but from the inside Paula the Polar Bear still has a musty smell.
Although Paula is very visible from 100 paces you have have to give it large and be animated to attract attention. So I'm strutting, waving, dancing, shuffling, giving 'hi-5s and hand shakes and adopting the occasional 'Usain Bolt' pose. Some children are naturally drawn to a big cuddly bear that seemed to have escaped from its natural habitat, whilst others are very wary - perhaps its those big paws and claws! For those children who are truely captivated they can start to get persistant, demanding more than their fair share of hugs. The one that is constantly tugging at my tail is so close to finding that this bear could turn round and scare the living daylights out of her!
I love it when you give a big wave to adults passing by and they sneak you a sly one back in the hope that no one else is looking! A group of well dressed ladies are congregating nearby. They look like they are waiting for a boat to take them on a special celebratory trip. I shuffle up to them and they are doing their very best to ignore me, unlike the hen party who were on a mission to complete a series of challenges. The task to find and wear a hat - was achieved in style as one of them wore one of our volunteers polar bear hat! After half an hour of bear antics my eyes are starting to sting from the sweat. It's an indication that this volunteer needs to come up for fresh air. Needless to say my t-shirt is moist, my hands smell pretty rank and I am very pleased to shed my temporary hairy layer. OK, who's next?
As a result of our efforts we have 111 new sign-ups to the Save the Arctic petition with many more people taking leaflets with promises to go online or use their mobiles to add their names to the Arctic Scroll. You can do the same at www.savethearctic.org Big thanks to Carol, Daniel, Ian, Lauren, Loz and Richard B for their time.
Click here to see photos from the day.
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