A TATTY ted, treasured by one man his entire life, has finally found a new home.
Ug – who at 94-years-old and after much-love, was certainly showing his age – has not only found a new caring owner, but has been given a teddy bear makeover.
The two foot bear was won at a fete in 1927 and became the life-long companion of John Boucher. John was given him the year he was born in Water Orton, Warwickshire.
Ug, who was named after the noise he makes, was taken everywhere by John including touring Britain by train in the 1930s, as John’s dad worked on the railways.
His legs were mended with socks, he was missing an ear and he was showing general signs of wear and tear.
But when John died in 2010 at the age of 84, this didn’t make his daughter, retired teacher Sue Boucher, any the less determined to find a new home for him.
The 64-year-old has no children and so had no one to pass him on to. And after keeping Ug tucked away in a wardrobe for several years she decided to put him up for auction.
Ug finally went under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers Toy Auction at the beginning of this year and now has a proud new owner.
Wendy Lodge from Durham got in touch with the Observer to tell us that Ug is “doing very well indeed”.
She continued: “He has been given some much needed loving teddy-bear restoration, care and specialist attention and is very much loved by his new family and friends in his new home.
“New ear, new eyes, paw extension, newly stitched mouth and nose, fur graft and some new stuffing and he is now in great health and looking super. Ug loves being in the sunshine in the garden and even his “ug” noise has begun to work again – albeit a bit clunky.
“Ug is an amazing, very special, old gentleman bear and we are so pleased to be his new owners.”
