Page 77 - Blaze Bear

Founder Bear

Guardians 1998-2006

Frances Fagan was the Founder Bear’s guardian assisted much of the time by Adele Joyce
of Colour Box Ltd. They took him all over the fire service world to help build his profile
raising thousands of pounds from across the country on behalf of the National Fire
Services Benevolent Fund. They were also promoting the Colour Box Ltd business that
made the bear famous and their other miniature figurine bears for the rapidly growing
number of collectors.

The Author managed to find and to contact Frances and she was very pleased to hear that
Founder Bear’s good works were continuing at least in his name. Frances was happy to
provide more of his background information but wished to live her life away from publicity
and not actually get involved in the hunt. Following Bear’s departure from the UK scene
his auction and subsequent adoption details would be subject to rules of DPA the Data
Protection Act. And permissions required from the new guardian before divulging details.

He was very pleased to finally make contact with Frances and hoped that she might be
able to provide one of the final pieces of the puzzle by her involvement and being the one
most likely to know where he went.

Frances kept records of many of the auctions that still contain bits of the most relevant
information for the bear hunters. Lucy Fagan’s Trust and Colour Box bears auctions were
reported in Teddy Bear Times in 2006.

For all the hunters knew, Founder Bear’s future may have been decided by a private sale .
He might even have gone to a collector if any of the Colour Box Hug’s bears had failed to
make it to auction and when suitable offers had been made and accepted. We didn’t
know. At the time but it is known now that he did get to the online auction.

It was hoped that ‘Bear’ had gone to the Fire Services national Benevolent Fund charity
but he didn’t. We shall have to wait and see what else we can ascertain. There are so
many hunters now that something should turn up at some point to lead us closer to him.

We are a bit nearer now but there’s a chance that this is a real chance this is the end.