The teddy bear museum in Cornwall set to close just one year after opening

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A teddy bear museum in Cornwall is set to close within the month of celebrating its first anniversary.

The Bear in Mine'd museum near Camborne displays hundreds of teddy bears but blames high rents and a lack of grant funding for its problems.

Director of the museum Victoria Edwards, says she wants its landlord Cornwall Council to be "more empathetic".

She said: "We love it here, the teddy bears love it here. We have a lot of people here. We're on the International Teddy Bear Guide this year.

"I know [Cornwall Council] have got to get their money back and we don't expect to be here rent-free, but I've put a lot of it in myself and I can't put anymore. And now we just need some bit of help."

Hannah Danson, is a supporter of the museum says this place is "more than just a museum" and it visitors find it is a kind of therapy.

"There's the peace and the calm that you get from hanging out with a bunch of teddy bears. They're only teddy bears, but they're not not judgemental. They you can talk to them and they won't talk back. You can just hang out with them. It's quite a chilled place, and a lot of people find peace here that they don't find in their normal lives."

Victoria met specialist teddy collector Gyles Brandreth who has shared his disappointment with the news about it's closure. Credit: Victoria Edwards / Bear in Mine'd

The Community Interest Company (CIC) behind the museum put in two applications to National Lottery Heritage Fund but both were unsuccessful. The museum is also two months behind on its rent, which has led to being served an eviction notice by Cornwall Council.

The ‘Bear In Mine’d’ is run by TheraTeds (SMW) CIC, and was set up by three women who had experienced life difficulties and wanted to provide somewhere where others could feel supported. 

With the cost of living being so expensive for many people, entry has been a suggest £5 donation with 600 people visiting since opening in June 2022.

The closure will mean other community groups are facing having to find new homes.

Sue Thomas is a crafter from Camborne who has been running felting workshops in the museum. She says it is hard to find places which are cost-effective for her and her clients.

"It's difficult to be affordable, you know, if I put my prices up for a workshop to cover the cost of rent somewhere else, people can't afford to come," she said.

Julie Roberts is a member of the Knit and Natter group in Troon. They lost their original base when they returned after Covid but the teddy museum had become a great new home for the eight members who regularly meet.

"Victoria's lovely and she works so hard and it's a nice communal space, you know, it'd be a shame if she has to get I think it's a community project. They should be supporting it."

There are around a thousand teddies in the museum in the village of Troon. Credit: ITV News

Cornwall Council says it recognises these are "increasingly financially challenging times" for their tenants.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: "We recognise that some organisations are finding it difficult to continue to operate. While clearly we do not wish to see any tenant leave one of our properties, rents are explained at the time of agreeing a tenancy. "

National Lottery Heritage fund says to date they have invested £125million to a "huge range of heritage projects" in Cornwall but there is "unfortunately we are unable to support all the applications we receive".

A spokesperson for The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: "We appreciate this is a lifetime of work and commitment to bring this collection together. We will get in touch with Bear in Mine'd to provide some constructive feedback which they might find helpful going forward with the project and future funding.”