Hanley Bear, Sports Reporter

Ay up, everyone!  My name is Hanley and I'm Sonning's pal from Stoke-on-Trent.  I love my home city and the green and gorgeous Staffordshire countryside around it but, more than any of that, I love my football team, Stoke City, the Mighty Potters!

I'm a lucky small bear because my human guardian Grizzly has a Stoke City season ticket.  He and his pals, Mr Andy and Mr Steve, go to most of the home games and they take me with them.  Grizzly carries me into the game tucked inside his coat with just my head sticking out and, as we pass them to get to our seats, some of the supporters near them pat my head for luck.  I also get pats and my paw shaken when we score goals, if we win or even if we manage a draw against a very tough side.

 Stoke used to be in the Premiership but are a Championship side now, just outside the relegation zone.  This makes every game extra important and there are more games than usual over Christmas.  We were bottom of the table for a long time, until we got a new manager, Mr Michael O'Neill.  I think he might be following my training and diet advice for the squad, and feeding them oatcakes and marmalade, as they have been playing better since he took over.  

On Boxing Day, I went to a home game with Grizzly, against Sheffield Wednesday.  It was one of the most exciting games ever!  We scored the first goal and were ahead at half-time, but they scored after the break and then again with not long to play, taking the lead.  Just as I started to think we might lose, we got another goal!  I cheered and cheered, and had only just stopped cheering when we scored again, right at the end of extra time.  I leapt out of Grizzly's coat and jumped about with all the other fans.  We had won!  We all stayed to applaud our players and manager as they walked around the field to thank us for our support, and I got lots of hugs and pats for being such a good lucky mascot bear.

Only a few days later, Grizzly and I were at another match.  This was my first away game, at Fulham, and we had the other bears, Polar and some of Grizzly's family with us too.  

We liked the ground at Craven Cottage, which is right beside the Thames.  All the Stoke fans stood up and were singing and shouting for almost the whole game, but Fulham scored the first and only goal, so they won. 

After that, we had an away game at Huddersfield on New Year's Day.  When we're at home, Grizzly and I listen to away games on the radio, but because we were staying with his grandcubs, we were busy doing other things and missed it, which was a shame as Stoke won by five goals to two.

Then we had a home game against Millwall.  Before the game, Grizzly and I went with Polar and Mr Andy for a curry at Mrs Shug's stall in Stoke Market, which was more exciting than being at the match as there were no goals, but at least we got a point.  But on Monday, we beat West Brom, who are top of the league, in an exciting away game, which Grizzly and I listened to on the radio in his workshop, while we made buildings for his model railway.  

 Mr Tyrese Campbell, who is one of our best young players, scored the only goal but picked up an injury soon afterwards, or we might have scored more.  Grizzly and I hope he will be well enough to play tomorrow, when we play Swansea at home, and we will be watching.  

Come on you Mighty Potters!  Yaaaayyyy!

Update from Hanley Bear, 25th January 2019:

"And it's another famous victory for the Potters - a 2:0 win over Swansea today.  Go on, Stoke!!!"

A Visit to London

Between Christmas Day and New Year's Day, we bears had some wonderful adventures.  I am going to let Hanley Bear write about some that involve football matches, while I tell you about visits to Grizzly's grown-up cubs and his grandcubs. 

Mr George, who is Grizzly's son, lives in a place in West London called Chiswick.  He likes it very much there, as there are lovely parks, walks by the Thames and good buses and trains into central London, but there isn't room for Grizzly and Polar  (and us) to stay in his flat, so when we went to see him, Polar booked us a hotel room by the locks at Brentford.

I was very excited to be back there, as I could show the smaller bears where I had been when we brought Uppie down the Thames and onto the Grand Union Canal, which was one of my most thrilling and terrifying adventures.  Once you are through the locks, the water is calm and there are smart moorings with houseboats of all sizes.  We bears think Mr George should get a boat to live on! 

The morning after we arrived, we all sat out on the balcony while I told them about the terrible fast tide on the Thames and how poor Uppie's engine was only just powerful enough for us to turn across it and into Brentford Creek.  I thought Endon was shivering with fear but he said he was just cold, because he hadn't packed a sock jumper and hadn't had any breakfast yet.

Polar and Grizzly took us to a café where we helped them to eat Danish pastries and bananas, then we caught the bus into Chiswick.  We bears have sometimes had bus trips with Polar and Grizzly and usually, we have to plan the journey carefully so we don't miss the bus, but there were so many along the road to Mr George's flat that we could spend as long nibbling our breakfast treats as we liked and still not have long to wait.

The next stage of our journey was by train to Fulham, where we were going to a football match but, before that, we were having lunch with some of Grizzly's younger cousins and their families at a very smart restaurant in a country club.  Polar let us out of our bag for a run in the park where the restaurant was, but not for long, as she didn't want us to get lost. 

We had to be very good bears during the meal and decided to stay in our bag, in case other diners caught sight of small furry creatures running about and thought we were rats! 

After lunch, we went to see Stoke play Fulham.  I am not going to say anything about the game, as I am going to let Hanley Bear write a blog about being a lucky football mascot bear, but here is a picture taken at the end of the game with all of us bears and (from left to right) Polar, Grizzly's cousins Mr Mark and Mr Dom, and Mr George.

After the game, Polar carried us back to the station in our bag, stopping so we could see the River Thames at night.  It was funny to think that, if you followed the path a long way upstream, you would come to the place where I was found, near Sonning Bridge! 

We had cakes for tea with Mr George, then caught the bus back to Brentford - there were still lots of buses, even though it was a Sunday evening.  The canal near the hotel looked very tranquil and there were little wisps of smoke coming from some of the boats' chimneys. 

When we got back to our room, Grizzly let us read his football programme.  We found a chair to make into a bear bed and Polar went to get some clean towels for us to snuggle in.

In the morning, before breakfast, we went for a walk with Grizzly and Polar, down to the lock onto the River Thames.  The tide was low, so there were no boats coming through.  Next to the locks were some yards where very big boats were being repaired and repainted.  We thought of Uppie in Mr Steve's yard on the River Weaver and hoped all was well with our boat.

After another tasty pastry breakfast, Polar drove us all to Sussex, where Grizzly's grandcubs live with their mummy and daddy.  As soon as we arrived, the smaller one asked Polar if she had brought us, and soon we were all playing together.   Hanley and I made Lego aeroplanes (I made a seaplane and Hanley made a jet), while Endon built a narrowboat.  After a busy day full of fun, we joined the small cub for his bedtime story, then it was our bedtime too.

Aren't we lucky bears to have so many adventures and such interesting lives?

New Clothes for Christmas

We bears love Christmas and we had a very happy one this year, even though we couldn't go out on our boat. We put on our Christmas jumpers and helped Polar and Grizzly to decorate the Christmas tree.

Because he is so good at climbing, Endon carried some of the baubles up to the top and tidied up the tinsel.  We thought the tree looked the best it had ever done this year.

One day, our friends the Berkshire Bears came to visit us.  We had mini mince pies to share with them and Polar was able to give Cinnamon Bear the pinafore dress she had made for her.

Because we had been such helpful bears, Polar brought us in to the CAB Christmas party.  There were lovely snacks and sandwiches but the profiteroles were our favourites.

Hanley and Endon wore Christmas bow-ties, made from ribbons Polar's friend Tina had given us, which had pictures of small bears on.  I couldn't wear one because my jumper's pom-poms were in the way!

When we woke up on Christmas morning, we found a special Christmas stocking on our bed, full of presents for us!  We were so excited!  We jumped down onto the settee with it, trying to guess what was inside.

Hanley Bear looked inside, then pulled out something green.  'It's a cap!' he cheered, trying it on, but it was too big and came right down over his eyes.

I tried it next; it was far too small.  Then Endon put it on - and it fitted him perfectly!

The next thing out of the stocking was another cap, which was for Hanley.  He was thrilled.  'The next present must be for you, duck!' he said, passing me the stocking. 

And he was right.  I had a warm woollen hat, made from a sock top.  That wasn't all, however.  Polar had been busy, as there was a matching jumper, made from the rest of the pair of socks.

Then we found more presents for the small bears.  Endon had some new dungarees to match his cap and Hanley had a pair of trousers with braces.  He was delighted with these, as his jeans often wriggle down when he is jumping about watching football.

They tried them on quickly (over their pyjamas!), to check that everything fitted perfectly - and it did!

Right in the toe of the stocking, we found three small bars of chocolate, just the right size for small bear snacks!  We were good bears and didn't eat them straight away, because Polar said we were having scrambled eggs and salmon for breakfast.

We had a lovely day helping Polar and Grizzly to open their presents, wrapping things to take to the human cubs later in the week and playing on the settee.  And we helped Grizzly and Polar to eat their Christmas dinners!  

In the evening, Polar made me some green corduroy trousers too, so we all had matching clothes for wearing to special waterwats events.

By the end of the day, we were very sleepy small bears, so Polar and Grizzly tucked us up in our bear basket.  We still had lots more Christmas adventures to come, however, including a very exciting time following football for Hanley Bear.