A magnificent bear was carved by award-winning chainsaw carver, Clayton Ryder, at this year’s Fire and Wood Festival.

The bear stands at over 6 feet tall. He is carved from a 7ft by 3ft coastal redwood (sequoia sempervirens) log of around 50 years old, and was grown in a plantation above Soudley ponds. It weighed around 2 tonnes before carving. It was carved only by chainsaw, in 7 hours, and has been sealed using Rustin’s Danish oil.

The Dean Heritage Centre do not want anyone to miss out on the opportunity to purchase what they have described as a ‘one of a kind masterpiece’. They are asking that people submit their offers to [email protected] by 31st October.

The highest bidder will be contacted after the closing date whereupon the bear can be collected from his current location at the Dean Heritage Centre.

All the money we raise from the sale of this beauty goes directly to support the charity, to enable them to offer school tailored educational workshops and activities, as well as the on-going maintenance of the beautiful woodland site and home to 5 galleries filled with history of the Forest of Dean spanning 10,000 years, that people can continue to enjoy.See this week’s paper for more stories like this, available in shops and as a Digital Edition now.