SHOPPERS could barely believe their eyes on Sunday when a 95 stone visitor from the Arctic was seen wandering into the Brunel Centre. 

Children’s faces lit up – some with joy and others with a little trepidation – as Bjorn a battery-operated puppet polar bear came plodding out to meet them making a half grumbling, half growling noise. 

For Bjorn, who stands an enormous nine feet tall on his back legs, the cold December weekend in Swindon was like a tropical break from the sub-zero temperatures in his usual homeland.

Bjorn's story began many years ago in the Arctic north of Canada. The story goes that he was abandoned as a cub and discovered and befriended by Ursula, an Arctic conservationist. 

Now Bjorn and his human companion travel the world making friends, sharing their story and telling people about the fascinating and vulnerable world of the Arctic. 

Ursula said: “Bjorn has been all over the UK now and even to the Middle East – he is a very well-travelled bear. 

“We like to give people a mix of education and entertainment when we come to visit – we call it edutainment.

"It gives people, particularly children, an opportunity to meet animals they would never meet. 

"You give children the chance to speak out about what they know already - they're so interested in facts and the polar bear especially is a fascinating animal.

"We're spreading awareness of polar bears and their endangered status and about the environment they live in."