00:00They've arrived looking like polar bears, but soon they will be transformed into unique
00:05art pieces for a summer activity trail across Dartford and Bluewater.
00:09The bears being offloaded on the lorry have come all the way from Poland.
00:13This is the first batch to arrive in Dartford and over the next few days more and more will
00:17be coming.
00:18There'll be 30 large ones and 56 small ones, so 86 in total.
00:22And if they look familiar, that's because they're inspired by the animated adaptation
00:27of we're going on a bear hunt.
00:29But this isn't just a public art project, it's a scheme to raise funds for Eleanor, the
00:35hospice charity supporting children and adults across North Kent and Bexley.
00:40So our art trail is around raising awareness about the work that we do within the community
00:45and the specialised end of life care, but equally it's about raising much needed money to ensure
00:50that our services continue.
00:51In the story by Michael Rosen, a family face obstacles they can't go over or under.
00:57They have to go through them.
00:59Eleanor says that reflects the experience of many of the families it supports.
01:04My father was in Eleanor's care when he passed away.
01:08It was actually eight years ago, last Friday.
01:12He spent time at home with my mum looking after him and then he went into Eleanor's care for
01:19a week to give my mum some time off and unfortunately he passed away whilst in their care.
01:24I've run London Marathon for Eleanor before, raising vital funds for a vital charity is always
01:30a good thing to do and with such a personal touch to Eleanor, it makes it even more worthwhile
01:36helping.
01:36Over the coming months, artists, skills and community groups will design each sculpture
01:42before they go on display across the borough.
01:45We'd encourage families to get out and try and find all of the bears over the summer,
01:49so it will be in place from mid-July to mid-September and we'll have a trail app as well
01:54so you'll
01:54be able to download the trail app, Dartford Bear Hunt, and you'll be able to collect all of
02:00the bears as you go round and some of our incredible sponsors are also putting rewards in there for
02:04families. So as you collect a big bear, you might get something like a free swim at Fairfield Leisure.
02:10After the display ends, the bears will be auctioned to raise further funds for hospice care.
02:16There's certainly some Dartford inspired bears in there, there's going to be some very shiny bears
02:20as well so you certainly won't miss those ones and there's a lot of nature inspired and those that are
02:25inspired by the book as well.
02:27So from blank canvases to symbols of resilience, the summer's Dartford Bear Hunt will help support
02:33families facing some of life's toughest journeys. Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV in Dartford.
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