WHILE people might have missed Santa’s sleigh last month, there was another friendly face out and about in Wokingham borough.
The man in the furry suit, known as the Earley Panda, was spotted cycling the streets last month in a bid to spread some Christmas cheer.
Wokingham borough’s furry friend was up to his usual tricks, riding around town to create GPS art online – but this time, he had help from a friend across the pond.
“I was cycling and making GPS art throughout lockdown, but in December I wanted to do something for the Christmas festivities,” the bear explained.
“And I thought why not make an advent calendar and create some Christmassy GPS art.”
Everyday throughout December, Earley Panda put his helmet on and got pedalling to create some festive cycle maps.
When he put out a call for help to create the routes online, he received assistance from across the globe.
“I put a post up asking if somebody could help me with the GPS figures, and somebody from all the way over in Canada said he could lend a hand,” Earley Panda says. “He helped me find lots of Christmas-related routes, studying the Earley map and pointing out cookies and gingerbread men and all things festive – it was really helpful.”
And the bear says his shenanigans have been met with great feedback.
“Every day people were asking me what I was going to make next and everybody was quite excited,” he says.
“I think people want something to cheer about at Christmas, and with the coronavirus as well, I think it was accepted and applauded by a lot of people.”
Now, Earley Panda is looking forward to hitting the streets again – and this time, he hopes to raise money for a good cause.
The bear explained: “I’ve been approached by a couple of charities to raise money for a few different causes, but I haven’t made my mind up at the moment on the charity I’m going to support.
“I’m waiting for the better weather so I can go out cycling on a daily basis again, rather than doing a one-off event.”
And Earley panda says he is still working hard to raise awareness of safe cycling and male mental health.
“I hope that people see me cycling on the road and give the same consideration to the Panda as they do to anybody else, aside from the honking,” the bear says.
“But I also need to look after my mental health and make sure I don’t exhaust myself too much.
“It takes time to study the map and figure out which routes to follow.”
He says he’s looking forward to starting up again.
“When I started, I thought I would only cycle in Earley because it’s where I used to ride around before,” Earley Panda explained.
“But now, I’ve experienced going to Sonning and to Wokingham, and I really feel like I’m helping people smile and creating instant joy.
“In return, I’m motivated to cycle more.”
In the future, Earley Panda could be heading even further afield with a possible ride from Reading to London on the cards.
For now, he’s busy making plans to return to the local scene and spread some lockdown joy once more.
To stay up to date with Earley Panda, visit: www.facebook.com/earleypanda
