Paddington Bear caught in waste dilemma amid Queen tribute trash
Royal Parks has asked mourners not to leave non-compostable materials in tributes for the Queen in the interests of sustainability, meaning Paddington Bear is best kept safe at home
READING LEVEL: GREEN
The Queen’s good friend Paddington Bear and his favourite food, marmalade sandwiches, have already left a memorable mark on Buckingham Palace – but their presence has become just a little sticky at nearby Green Park.
After their high tea for two went viral during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee* celebrations in June, much of the world now knows that Her Majesty loved the bear in the blue duffel coat just as much as generations of children do.
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So it is no surprise that mourners have been leaning on Paddington in their hour of sorrow, with toy bears featuring at makeshift* memorials* as crowds continue showing up in droves with flowers and other tributes.
And it’s creating something of an issue, putting Paddington in the spotlight in an unexpected way.
Tributes left at Buckingham Palace were loaded into a truck and moved to the newly created Green Park Floral Tribute Garden over the weekend.
Paddington Bear, who actually has two birthdays just like the Queen, has been spotted often in the park since the Queen’s death, but mourners have now been politely asked to keep miniature toy versions of the fictional character at home.
The Royal Parks, which manages the parks surrounding the palace, has had to ask visitors to stop bringing non-floral objects or artefacts*, specifically calling out teddy bears, including the famous Paddington.
Floral tributes will be removed and composted* seven to fourteen days after the funeral on Monday, September 19 – a toy bear, however, can’t be so easily mulched.
The Royal Parks official site asks visitors to consider removing wrappings from floral tributes prior to arrival.
“Bins will be provided for those unable to do so,” the Green Park page states. “You are respectfully asked not to lay tributes outside of the official floral tribute site.
“Any form of floral tribute is acceptable. In the interests of sustainability*, we ask visitors to only lay organic* or compostable material.
“Removing the wrapping will aid the longevity* of the flowers and will assist in subsequent composting which will start between one week and a fortnight after the date of the funeral.”
When Paddington was the Queen’s surprise co-star in their special skit, the two had tea together, with Paddington offering the Queen a marmalade sandwich from his hat. Much to viewers’ delight, the Queen famously pulled her own sandwich out of her handbag.
Paddington ended the heartwarming skit by saying “Thank you, for everything”.
Following the Queen’s death on Thursday, one of the writers of the skit commended* the late monarch on her acting skills, as of course Paddington Bear wasn’t actually there during the filming.
“You’ve got to remember that’s real acting going on there,” Frank Cottrell-Boyce told BBC. “Paddington isn’t really in the room. She’s acting with an eye line and someone pretending to be Paddington – that’s proper acting going on.”
On Thursday night, Paddington Bear had tweeted: “Thank you, Ma’am, for everything.”
Royal Parks has also asked people to stop bringing balloons, candles and plastics.
A small group of visitors were seen on Monday removing wrappings from flowers that had already been left.
“We don’t want plastic, that’s the problem, so we’re just putting it all in bags,” Sandra, from South East London, told news.com.au.
The group were then rearranging the flowers. Sandra had created a rainbow.
“A rainbow came out just as she died over Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, so that’s where I got the idea,” she said.
Another London woman, Katya, said, “I was just passing by and decided to help.”
For more information about leaving sustainable tributes, visit the Royal Parks website at www.royalparks.org.uk/ceremonial/floral-tributes-in-the-royal-parks
- GLOSSARY
- Platinum Jubilee: the Queen’s celebrations this year recognised her 70 years as monarch
- makeshift: temporary and of low quality, often made in great haste or due to a sudden need
- memorials: permanent structure or object built to honour a person or event
- artefacts: man-made objects of special interest or meaning
- composted: when decayed plant material is collected, stored and used as soil fertiliser
- sustainability: not unduly depleting natural resources, practices that help look after the planet
- organic: being or coming from living plants and animals
- longevity: ability to last, live or thrive for a long time
- commended: to formally praise someone or something
EXTRA READING
Queen’s final journey is underway
World mourns loss of Queen Elizabeth II
Party time to mark Queen’s historic reign
QUICK QUIZ
- Why do mourners associate Paddington Bear with Queen Elizabeth II?
- What is the name of the newly opened dedicated tribute garden?
- What did the Queen pull out of her trusty handbag in the viral video skit?
- Why has Royal Parks asked the public to stop leaving toy bears?
- What other popular tribute items are not compostable and best left at home?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Thank you for everything
As a class, watch the video embedded in the Kids News story featuring Paddington with the Queen for the Jubilee celebrations.
Why has this scene, and Paddington, resonated so much with people around the world after the death of Queen Elizabeth?
Design a thank you note, to the Queen or the Queen’s family, using Paddington’s voice.
Write on and decorate your card with a simple message of thanks.
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Visual Arts; Personal and Social; Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
What other ways can you think of for people to pay tribute to the Queen in a meaningful fashion?
Why is it important for people to visit and pay their respects after the death of somebody?
Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Personal and Social; Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you were there during the event being discussed in the article, or for the interview.
Create a conversation between two characters from the article – you may need or want to include yourself as one of the characters. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.
Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.