Rubbing Noses (Clean) On Bears In Bluewater

Most weekends, Sarah Hawes of Izzy PR is taking a break from a busy week of marketing and PR, but for one weekend only, she went out cleaning – for the agency’s charity client ellenor.

She headed over to Bluewater with her teenage daughter and between them, they found all of the Bear sculptures dotted around the shopping centre, giving them a clean and check over.

Usually for ellenor, she’s writing and producing their magazine, writing awards entries, and supporting the PR & marketing team but armed with a spray and cloth, she was volunteering with their summer fundraising campaign and art trail instead.

ellenor, the Gravesend hospice close to Sarah’s heart where her grandad was cared for 21years ago, ran Dartford, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, a free summer art trail featuring brilliantly painted bear sculptures dotted across Dartford and Bluewater. Families could track them down using an app or a map, discovering colourful characters while raising vital funds for the hospice.

She said: “The bear sculptures were so amazing – bright, colourful and so beautifully painted – the artists did such an amazing job to bring them to life and even tell stories through their designs.

“People are touching the bears all day having photos taken with them, so their ears and noses needed a little clean up to keep them looking their best. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon volunteering.”