Collector flies from America to buy a teddy (From Witney Gazette)

Collector flies from America to buy a teddy

3:18pm Monday 13th August 2007 in Witney By David Horne

IT'S not just children who hug teddy bears, grown-ups travel thousands of miles just to get their hands on one.

Flying in from the mid-west of America to be at the Witney shop which does nothing but teddies was collector Marjorie Armstrong, pictured.

She came on Sunday especially to collect 'Cheeky Marjorie', a limited-edition dreamed up by Ian Pout, owner of Teddy Bears of Witney, and the sole UK manufacturers Merrythought.

Mrs Armstrong was obviously delighted to pay £80 for a cuddly bear named in her honour.

But that's a snip compared to some of the bears in the shop's museum.

The original Aloysius, now in its centenary year and featured in the new Brideshead Revisited film out next year, is a star exhibit, along with Alfonzo, a red teddy bear, who was given to Princess Xenia by her father, the Grand Duke of Russia, in 1908.

Collectors from across the world as well as at home gathered in Witney for the special open day celebrating Merrythought.

Teddy Bears of Witney was established by former stockbroker turned antiques dealer, Ian Pout, in 1985, as the first shop in the UK to specialise in selling new and old teddy bears.

The shop has more than a thousand in stock at any one time.

Collectors even have their own collective word for themselves - they are known as arctophiles.