Latest news with #Odiham
BBC News
04-06-2025
- BBC News
Teenage motorcyclist critically injured in Odiham crash
A teenage motorcyclist has been critically injured in a collision that also involved a van and a were called to the A287 Farnham Road at the junction with Hillside, near Odiham, Hampshire, at 17:40 BST.A 19-year-old man was taken to hospital with life-threatening have appealed to trace the van driver, who left the scene before officers arrived. Insp Andy Tester said: "It is possible he didn't realise how serious the collision was and didn't think we'd need his details."However, we do need to speak to him as a matter of urgency and are appealing to him to come forward."Police have appealed for dashcam footage of the small, white van, as well as the motorcycle and the black Audi A3. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Crowds cheer as repaired Paddington Bear unveiled
The unveiling of a repaired Paddington Bear statue has been met with applause and Odiham engineers Daniel Heath, from Thornton, near Bradford in West Yorkshire, and William Lawrence, from Enderby, Leicestershire, ripped Paddington from his bench in Newbury, Berkshire, in the early hours of 2 was recovered and repainted, and unveiled by Ian Batho and Ashley Morris from Newbury Business Improvement District (BID) on statue was unveiled in front of an applauding crowd, including pupils from John Rankin School, with BBC Radio Berkshire's Phil Mercer leading the countdown. The statue was originally unveiled in the hometown of Paddington creator Michael Bond in October was one of dozens put up across the UK as part of the Paddington Visits trail to celebrate the film, Paddington in and Lawrence, both 22 and based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, admitted criminal damage and were ordered to carry out unpaid work as well as pay £2,725 to cover the cost of repairs. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Yahoo
Paddington bear statue to return to Newbury after being vandalised by RAF engineers
A Paddington bear statue that was partly ripped off its bench and stolen will be returning "back to the town that loves him so dearly". The statue of the fictional Peruvian bear , who made off with part of it in Newbury, Berkshire, following a night out on 2 March. Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, both 22 and engineers at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, appeared at Reading Magistrates' Court in March. They were ordered to pay £2,725 each towards the costs of repairing the statue and were sentenced to 12-month community orders. The repaired and repainted statue will be unveiled in a ceremony on Wednesday at 11.30am on Northbrook Street, Newbury. Read more from Sky News: Ben Beardmore-Gray, marketing manager at Newbury Business Improvement District (BID), said: "When the damage was caused, it was a bit of a shock to all of us. "Newbury is quite a quiet town. Crime here is not particularly extreme. "For something so visible to happen - it caught us all off guard. "We've been working very hard behind the scenes for five weeks, basically, to bring Paddington back to the town that loves him so dearly, and we're delighted that we can announce he's back on Wednesday." CCTV footage played at Reading Magistrates' Court showed the engineers approaching the statue before attempting to rip the bear off the bench, then walking away with part of the damaged object. They carried the statue through the town and into a taxi to their base at RAF Odiham, the court heard. District judge Sam Goozee said it was "an act of wanton vandalism". The judge added the RAF engineers' "actions were the antithesis of everything Paddington stands for".
Telegraph
21-03-2025
- Telegraph
RAF engineers charged with stealing Paddington Bear bench statue
Two Royal Air Force engineers have been charged with stealing a statue of Paddington Bear in the home town of Michael Bond, the creator of the beloved bear. Jars of marmalade, sandwiches and poems were left at the scene in Newbury after the statue was cut in half and stolen – with just the character's back and legs left behind. Thames Valley Police have recovered the stolen part of the statue and plan to restore it. Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, both 22, are two engineers understood to be based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, working on the Chinook helicopter fleet. The engineers have been charged with criminal damage and will appear at Reading magistrates' court next Tuesday. The Paddington statue, complete with a red hat, blue duffle coat and trademark marmalade sandwich, disappeared at around 2am on March 2, leaving only an empty hollow shell behind. The model was installed to mark the release of the film Paddington in Peru last year, and was one of 23 installed across the country as part of a 'Paddington trail'. Paddington has a special place in English culture, with the character even appearing with the late Queen Elizabeth II as part of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. The statue's remains were covered with a tent, as mourners left sandwiches, poems, and jars of marmalade on the bench in Northbrook Street where Paddington used to sit. The police said Heath, from Thorton, West Yorkshire and Lawrence, from Enderby, Leicester, have been charged with criminal damage and will appear in Reading magistrates' court next week. Paddington's 'rightful place' The statue has been recovered, the police are 'keeping it safe' and will support its restoration to 'its rightful place', Inspector Alan Hawkett said. He added: 'Paddington is heading to the Newbury police station for a much-needed marmalade sandwich'. Lee Dillon, Liberal Democrat MP for Newbury, took to X to describe his disappointment at the 'senseless damage', saying it was 'heartbreaking to see that Paddington has been vandalised'. An RAF spokesman told The Sun: 'We are aware that two service personnel have been arrested for alleged theft and criminal damage. However, we are unable to comment while legal proceedings are ongoing'.
