Commemorative Plaque Removed from Popular Bear Sculpture in York

A brass commemorative plaque has been removed from a “much-loved” bear statue situated in York. The metallic marker was taken from the ursine sculpture in Chalfonts, a cul-de-sac located off Tadcaster Road, sometime between November 5 and November 6. The plaque bears the inscription “Award for Good Design” and was originally presented by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in 1969. Local councillor Stephen Fenton commented: “It’s desperately sad to see an important and much-loved piece of local history ripped away like this.” Mr. Fenton indicated that the plaque was small in size and expressed his belief that it had been stolen by “metal thieves hoping to make a few quid.” While the bear has become a “much-loved landmark,” Mr. Fenton stated that the reason for its placement at that specific location remains unknown. He remarked: “It’s been there since the houses were built in 1969 but it’s one of these strange stories that no-one knows why,” adding, “The bear looks sad and lonely but it’s a striking statue.” Duncan Marks, the planning and heritage manager at York Civic Trust, also lacked information regarding why a bear statue was positioned in a residential area. He quipped: “If such a fearful beast was chosen to deter thieving of the 1970 design award, sadly he’s been found sleeping on the job.” Mr. Marks mentioned that the Civic Trust has experienced numerous thefts of its plaques across the city, “presumably for their metal value,” which has led the organization to now utilize aluminium for its blue plaques. He noted that this material would be “worthless to a thief” in terms of scrap value. Councillor Fenton reported that residents were initially informed that the police would not be investigating the theft, but he was “pleased” to learn that this decision had since changed. A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police affirmed: “We know the statue is a prominent and much-loved local landmark”. Officers have issued an appeal for information or any relevant CCTV or video doorbell footage. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.