Dunstable’s famous Mr Hugley returns to cheer up residents in lockdown

Giant cuddly toy Mr Hugley, who is owned by 10-year-old Joy Stock, has been busy dressing up, drumming and teaching lessons.

During the first lockdown, Joy would create displays with Mr Hugley outside her house, posting his photos on social media, and now the country is in its third national lockdown, the fun is carrying on inside.

Joy said: “We decided to start it again, but we didn’t put him on the front lawn because it’s too cold. This week he is doing some home schooling, and every day will be a different lesson.”

On Monday, Mr Hugley taught geography, and asked his social media followers where they were from, while on Tuesday it was time for a PE lesson, with Mr Hugley listing 10 exercises for his fans to 
try.

He will also be teaching maths, English and history.

Mentioning Mr Hugley’s recent online musical performance, Joy and her mum, Suzi, added: “He went live on Facebook and he was playing the drums. He did different songs that people requested, and we had a couple of hundred people in total.”

Mr Hugley’s paws were giving a helping hand from Joy’s talented big brother, Luke, 16, who has a Facebook page called ‘Lukedrums404’.

As well as making people smile, Joy has been aiming to raise money for the L&D, and ‘Mr Hugley in Lockdown’ has so far raised a fantastic £3,686, with a new target of £4,000.

Joy said: “Thank you to all his fans and to all the people who have lent us props. And thank you to the Rotary Club for having him up on their sleigh. The children were very excited and were calling out ‘Mr Hugley!’”

Indeed, Mr Hugley was a special guest star on the Rotary Club of Dunstable’s Santa sleigh, helping to raise money for its chosen charities. He also posted pictures on social media during the November lockdown.

You can buy Mr Hugley’s books from Amazon (money goes to the L&D) and you can also request a special shout-out for someone on social media. Search: ‘Mr Hugley in lockdown’ on Facebook.