Teddy bears ‘massacred’ after vandals destroy children’s display in Mill Hill

A teddy bear walk designed to cheer residents up during the pandemic has been destroyed after vindictive vandals cut down the stuffed toys.

In scenes likened to “Saving Private Ryan but with teddies” the toys were torn down from a fence on the footpath in Mill Hill and scattered across the ground.

Nicholas Rubin, who discovered the scene on Thursday morning, told Evening Standard: “I have no idea who did it, either a resident with disdain for it or kids.

“They’ve cut through pretty strong cable ties so it looks pre-meditated to me.

“It 100 per cent looks like a take on Saving Private Ryan for teddies.”

Posting in a local forum, he added: “I get that not everyone was a fan of the teddy bear walk, and everyone has a right to their opinion. But to waste your own time cutting loads of the teddies off just seems rather petty. I think a few people need to grow up a bit!”

Locals reacted with outrage on social media calling the perpetrator “spiteful” and “vindictive”.

One resident said: “That is awful, why do people do this. I use to live in Mill Hill, and I wish that we had this beautiful teddy bear walk when our children were little. People are so cruel. The children will be so upset to see their teddies destroyed.”

Another added: “The soft toys bring joy to numerous children and adults alike, what harm is there in that? The person who did this needs to seek some urgent counselling and get an actual life at the same time. There is seriously something wrong with you in so many ways.”

The Teddy Bear Walk was created in 2020 by local resident Howard Graham to entertain and amuse young children in the early days of the Covid-19 lockdown.

It was pulled down by the council but then brought back last week due to popular demand.

A community website states that Howard started by collecting around 25 stuffed toys, but this caught Mill Hill residents’ imagination and members of the public soon started adding their own toys, and the number swelled to around 300.