Free bus ride for China bound Pandas

One hundred and thirty cuddly knitted panda bears were given a free bus ride by National Express Coventry, enabling them to get from Coventry across to Birmingham airport before the start of a long journey across to China.

The bears, which had been knitted by over 500 local volunteers in Coventry, will eventually be handed out to orphan children living in China’s Chengdu Province which is at the heart of the panda’s natural habitat. The area was also severly damaged in an earthquake during 2008.

Chinese embassy representatives, local schoolchildren and cheerleaders will join the panda-knitters for a farewell ceremony to wave the pandas off.

Over in Chengdu, Panda Ambassador Nigel Marven will be waiting to meet the pandas. In a Welcome Ceremony he will hand the cuddly pandas over to the local children during filming of his next series of Pandaweek for Channel 5 - look out for it on your TV!

Last updated: 6 May 2011

Published 6th May 2011