The phantom badger dresser who clothes the three stunning badger sculptures on the Tesco roundabout in Blandford struck again before Christmas.

Early morning passers-by noticed the badgers were dressed as an elf, a reindeer and Santa – spreading a sleigh-full of Christmas cheer to residents and visitors. However, the identity of this elusive seamstress remains a mystery, despite striking with peculiar regularity, dressing the badgers in clothes to mirror current affairs or community events.

And despite Badger Banksy having his or her own Facebook page with more than 1,327 followers, the phantom badger dresser remains anonymous. In March as the nation went into lockdown, one of the badgers was stolen.

The Badger Banksy said: “The Badger Banksy is heartbroken that one of the badgers has been stolen. They are bolted down to prevent them going walkabout (the Badger Banksy knows they’re very adventurous!). They hope this was a silly practical joke that won’t happen again, because they love those badgers, and put days of work into creating new themes and designs for people to enjoy.
A rescue mission has been launched and the badger will be home soon.”

And in September the missing badger returned to his rightful place on the roundabout.
Badger Banksy said: “Our missing badger has finally returned! He’s had to self- isolate during lockdown, but he assured us he was ready to go back onto the roundabout, providing his fellow badgers remain two metres away of course. They’re all wearing rainbow face coverings specially made in badger size.”

But in another blow for the badgers and the community, the Christmas tree and lights on the roundabout were stolen, as well as an attempted badger-napping. The Badger Banksy of course was very upset and said: “They work exceptionally hard year round to make this town feature a success, and hope whoever took the tree will do the right thing and return it. We’ve had so much positive feedback from people saying they’ve really been cheered up by the badgers, let’s not ruin it now.”

The three badgers, created from galvanised chicken wire, were created by local artist Helen Godfrey in 2013 to mark the anniversary of the founding of Hall and Woodhouse in 1977. The sculpture captures the essence of Hall and Woodhouse Badger beers brand, which has been used as a logo for more than 100 years.

The roundabout was sown with native chalk land wild flowers and grass seeds to complement the badgers.

STYLISH: The decorated badgers on the Tesco roundabout in Blandford

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