Hello! We are Pawprint Family and we believe in #AdventureForAll. Want to know more, how it started and who’s behind it all? Then you’re in the right place! Read on to discover more about the people and the projects but most importantly about the Bear behind it all!
Our Story
It’s our mission to help leaders, teachers and parents save time and provide opportunities that deliver adventure, fun, community and reward. We do this through our family of brands; Pawprint Badges, Pawprint Trails, Pawprint Tales and the Pawprint Trust.
Established in 2016 by Charlotte (Ranger Leader) and Jamie (Explorer Leader), Pawprint Badges brings you fun, collectible, embroidered and woven badges for all occasions and takes the strain off programme planning with 1000s of free activity ideas and resources.
Joining the family in 2020 Pawprint Trails and Pawprint Tales go hand in hand, bringing you a fun and informative way to discover the people, places and history of the UK. With treasure-hunts to get you out and about, free activity ideas and a story to sit alongside each location you can explore the sights and cities for real or enjoy them from the comfort of your own home.
1% from every sale goes directly to our registered charity, Pawprint Trust to provide grants for young people, helping them experience life changing adventures, so thank you for your support. You can find out more about the Trust and how it works, here.
Initially launching with the hugely popular Rik Bear Collection, we now produce new badges and resources each month, launched in our monthly Tribe News. You can be the first to find out about our latest products, resources and other news by simply subscribing to the Tribe at the bottom of this page!
The Rik Bear Story
Once upon a time, well back in 2013 to be precise, a group of guides from Cheshire Forest were fundraising for a trip to an International Jamboree due to take place in Austria. Whilst happily going about their fundraising and preparing for a teddy tombola one of the Guides, Beth, found a bear wearing lederhosen longing to be saved and wearing quite the appropriate attire for the trip.
Now, it just so happened that on that very same weekend a Scout leader from London was visiting the group; as he was a friend of the Austrian Scout troop the Cheshire Forest Guides had been twinned with. This Scout was named Rik Fox. Rik told the Guides all about what to expect when they visited Austria and shared his experiences with them.
Upon Rik Fox’s departure from the weekend, the Guides felt it appropriate and befitting to call the bear that they had saved Rik Bear. Affectionately named after the Scouter that had inspired them with his Austrian tales.
Later that year Rik Bear ventured to Austria with the Guides, meeting up with his namesake and enjoying many adventures in the Austrian mountains.
In the coming months Rik Bear took up home with Charlotte, one of the leaders of the trip and travelled with her and her Brownie group to Our Chalet (Guiding World Centre) in Switzerland. He also became the mascot of 2nd Moss Edge Rangers (a new unit Charlotte set up upon her return from Austria) and with the sales of the 4 original Rik Bear badges helped them raise over £10,000 for the unit and their international adventures.
Since then, Rik Bear has travelled with members of The Senior Section and Charlotte to Morocco, The Gambia and Japan for the World Scout Jamboree where he and Charlotte met Jamie, who then took Rik to the top of Mount Fuji, above the clouds.
Charlotte and Jamie moved in together and Rik Bear got a new home in Staffordshire. Sadly he left the Rangers behind but has started a brand new adventure with lots of new friends at Pawprint Badges; where he helps lots more Scouts and Guides with adventures just like his own.
Where will you take your very own Rik Bear?
