“Whoever heard of teddy bears going viral?”
Well, that’s the case in Camden homes as families adorn their windows with some light relief from the coronavirus gloom.
West Hampstead neighbours have drawn inspiration from Michael Rosen’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt to create a trail of friendly teddies peeping out the window.
The NW5 Project, meanwhile, has seen Kentish Town families decorate their windows with rainbows in support of the key workers still taking to the streets.
Nine-year-old Daisy, from Agamemnon Road, said: “The coronavirus is annoying me a lot so when I go out onto the street and see the teddy bears it makes me feel like there is some happiness.”
David Yass, of Gondar Gardens, first posted the teddy idea in the neighbourhood WhatsApp group before the word spread like wildfire.
Not content with the confines of West Hampstead, he passed on the idea to friends in Ireland and Mexico - so watch this space.
David said the teddy trail had “brought a smile to everyone’s faces,” adding: “It’s the simple things that work best”.
Jill Henry of Agamemnon Road, said: “The thought that they are bringing smiles to children and adults is truly heartwarming.
“I love how the community are sharing something so simple which is bringing much joy.”
Agamemnon neighbour Paul Neuburg said: “The teddy my daughter had 35 years ago, and which normally sits between two books on the shelf above my desk, reminding me of those lovely days, is now looking out of the window.”
Fortune Green councillor Lorna Russell said she was “really proud” of the way the the community had “come together during this period of crisis”.
She added: “This teddy bear hunt is just one of the lovely ways they are showing solidarity and providing entertainment for children.”
NW5 Project manager Sharley Peet-Newitt said: “It’s been great receiving the photos from families and we would love to see more beautiful rainbow pictures in the windows of our homes.
“We feel it shows great community spirit and support to all the key workers who are going to work to support us as individuals, families and our whole community.”
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