Clarion the bear passed through Dumfriesshire on his way to COP26, pulled by his creator Bamber Hawes.
Their 306 mile route had started in South Shropshire and took in Gretna Green, Kirtlebridge, Ecclefechan Lockerbie and Beattock, garnering stares, waves and curiosity as they went.
Clarion is posed on his hind legs in ‘an enquiring, bewildered stance’. Weighing just 17kg, he is made of bamboo poles, plywood, willow, tissue paper and is waterproof and fireproof..
Bamber said of his creation: “I do not think of him as a friendly cuddly bear, but as a bewildered, frightened beast that is angry about what humans have done to his world.”
He hopes their pilgrimage will raise awareness and said: “Our aim is to come together to walk, to talk, to connect with each other, and to connect with the landscape by moving through it slowly, admiring its beauty and grandeur. We will be positive and kind, we will smile and laugh while being serious and we will build active hope as we walk.
“Walking to the climate talks will not change the world – but I can think of nothing better to do to show the earnestness of my belief that we must learn to talk together and build community, only in oneness will we make a better more just world.”
- Our photo shows Hawes and the bear during a stop in Ecclefechan on Monday, where they met schoolchildren
