Bear statue rescued from River Thames after being stolen from Kingston street

One multi-coloured bear is back on dry land after being dumped in the River Thames. Spectrum was rescued by boaters after being stolen from his place on a bear trail around Kingston.

The unmissable mammal was placed outside Fusebox on the river side. He was one of 10 bear sculptures in a trail put on by Kingston First to attract new people to the area and get families exploring. However, there are now only nine bears to see.

Shareena Merzi, director of communications and corporate development at Kingston First said: “Really upsettingly Spectrum was taken from its location and thrown into the River Thames. Spectrum was pretty badly damaged and definitely requires some repair. We think it's salvageable.

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“The bear’s gone back to Wild in art who have lent us the Bears as part of the trail and they're confident he can be repaired and restored back to his former glory. We're just kind of waiting to see how bad the damage is. Fingers crossed he will be back on the trail soon.”

She said the group was devastated by the removal of Spectrum, who along with the other sculptures had proved to be very popular. Shareena told SurreyLive: “The trail is a couple of weeks in and we'd had such a great reception to it. It was just wonderful to see so many families out and about enjoying the trail, enjoying Kingston discovering all that it has to offer. So this news was really shocking and really upsetting for us.”

The bear entered the water on Saturday April 13. Luckily he was not in the Thames for very long. Shareena said: “We were lucky enough that the local community rallied round and some people who live on boats saw Spectrum floating down the river and rescued him.

“It's been really heartwarming just to see how the care and the kindness of people it's not something you kind of anticipate. It was a new one for me and the team, you know, trying to get a bear out of the river but we were just so glad about people's support and help really to get Spectrum out of the river.”

Unlike the animal Spectrum was based on, the sculpture was not meant to swim. During his travels the model’s paintwork has been damaged and paw broken. His journey is made all the more remarkable by the fact he weighs about 40 kilograms and was sat on a podium making him quite difficult to move.

Each bear tells a different story and has been hand painted by a different artist. Vibrantly decorated, Spectrum was designed to represent inclusivity. Shareena told SurreyLive: “It was a symbol of love and hope for different communities, a tribute to the NHS, as well.”

As Spectrum may be out for a while Kingston First has commissioned a mural to replace him. Shareena said “We didn't want to jeopardise the trail so we've collaborated with a local artist Geru Naomi and she has installed a mural In Spectrum’s absence and it reflects the messages of inclusivity, that Spectrum was all about.”

You can see the new mural, and Spectrum’s friends around Kingston until June 7. Trail guide leaflets can be found at Waterstones, Fusebox, and The Rose Theatre. In this you will find a map of the trail, where you can tick off all 10 bears as you make your way around Kingston. Alternatively, the map can also be found online here.

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