'I travel with school's teddy bear to teach pupils about the world'

From the city streets of Tokyo to Cape Town's coastline, Herry the teddy bear and his human companion Bob Hall have visited over 30 far-flung places together.

But when he's not catching flights or seeing sights, Herry-Bear has another important role - as the mascot for Hertford Vale CofE Primary School in Staxton.

The teddy was gifted to Bob, 81, from Staxton, by the school so pupils can learn about different countries and cultures across the globe.

"I've been all around the world maybe about five times, and Herry-Bear has been with me the entire time," Bob says.

"He's my boss, friend and companion."

Today, both man and bear have come to speak to the whole school about their adventures, presenting a slideshow of pictures to show pupils where they've been.

Images of Herry-Bear riding a camel or posing with a Chinese lantern go down a treat, and when it comes to guessing the location of each picture, a flurry of hands wave in the air.

Bob is no stranger to adventure, his career in the army and the civil service took him to many exciting destinations when he was younger.

However, he had to put his travels on hold to become a full-time carer for his wife, Mary, who lived with Alzheimer's for over a decade before she passed away.

As a neighbour of the school and long-term Staxton resident, Bob was a familiar face to many in the village.

He describes the support that Hertford Vale headteacher Andrew Barber offered him as "instrumental" in helping him recover from the grief of losing his wife.

When he decided to take a trip to Australia in 2019 Bob proposed the idea of coming to talk to pupils about his travels, as a way to give back to the school.

From there the idea of taking the school's cuddly mascot to help the children "have a direct interest in exactly where I've been to in the world" was born, he explains.

"With my pictures, they can actually visualise what these countries are like and it's immediate for them," he says.

"Particularly because Herry-Bear is there."

While there have been many standout moments, the pair's safari trips in South Africa and Botswana are a particular highlight, according to Bob.

Understandably, other tourists are curious about his furry sidekick.

"They're very interested, and when I tell them they are absolutely amazed that somebody my age should want to share my life story with Herry-bear," he says.

Presentation over, and Hertford Vale pupils are discussing where they'd like to travel to.

Bodhi, 8, says she's been to Bulgaria, Cornwall and Wales before, but would love to go to Korea because "some of my favourite bands are from there".

10-year-old Oliver's dream destination would be Japan.

"It's really futuristic and there's lots of nice food there," he explains.

Meanwhile, six-year-old Hannah says "it was awesome" to find out about Herry-Bear's adventures, adding she'd like to take him on her next holiday.

Chester, 5, has a very simple goal.

"I only want to go to America."

Why?

"So I can go to the shop where you get the sweeties," he announces proudly.

Unlike the children, Bob doesn't have an ideal location in mind for a holiday.

"I don't believe in a bucket list - I think where I want to go, and when I want to go is how I feel at a particular time," he says.

Their next big adventure will be travelling to South America, ending the trip by attending the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, in which Herry-Bear will take a starring role.

But first, Bob has a solo trip to Barbados to look forward to.

"I'm not taking the bear - it's me time," he jokes.

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