Some are hunting for a particular bear. Others are drawn to the merchandise while some stop to find out more about the trail and what ellenor does.

And then there is the story itself ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt,’ the much-loved book and later film that many adults remember from their own childhood.

Behind the counter is Danny Gibbons, the Hub Manager, who has spent the past seven weeks discovering that, when it comes to the Bear Hunt, you never know who is going to walk through the door.

“I think people automatically look at it as quite a young children sort of thing,” he says.

But some of his most enthusiastic Bear Hunters have been teenagers.

The hub is part of Dartford We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, the free art trail led by ellenor in partnership with Dartford Borough Council and Wild in Art.

Across Dartford, 80 bear sculptures – 31 Big Bears and 49 Bear Cubs – have been designed by artists, schools and community groups.

Bluewater Shopping Centre is an Official Partner of the trail and has kindly provided the space for ellenor’s Bear Hunt Hub.

For Danny, being here has been something of a surprise.

He has a background in retail and visual merchandising, so displays and merchandise are familiar territory. But the Bear Hunt has brought something different. Conversations with hundreds of people, many of whom arrive knowing little about ellenor.

“I used to pass ellenor and always used to say to myself, ‘I’m going to work in there, or I’m going to work for ellenor.’”

He didn’t know how or when. Then a job appeared on the Bluewater website for an ellenor charity shop manager.

“I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll go for it.’”

Seven weeks later, he is surrounded by bears.

And talking to people has become a much bigger part of the job than he expected.

Danny expected the Bear Hunt to attract plenty of children and families. What he didn’t expect was how seriously some teenagers would take it.

“I’ve had teenagers coming in asking for clues and wanting to find their own bear.”

They want to know where their bear is hiding.

Danny gives them hints.

But not the answer.

And then there are the parents.

“Halfway through the Bear Hunt, the parents tend to take over and do the Bear Hunt themselves.”

He has also become used to another sound drifting past the Hub. Adults singing the familiar rhyme.

For many of them, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt is more than a children’s story. It is a piece of childhood they remember themselves and one they have since shared with their own children.

“They start singing, and then they’re like, ‘Oh, let’s come in and have a look.’”

It is one of the things Danny has enjoyed most, the mix of people the trail brings together.

Children, teenagers, parents, grandparents and people who have been following art trails around the country for years.

The bears may bring people into the Hub, but the conversation often moves on to ellenor.

What is the trail raising money for? Where does the money go? What does ellenor do? Some know already. Many don’t.

Danny has also noticed that many people know very little about hospice care and have their own ideas about what a hospice means.

“I think a lot of people just think, when they see the word hospice, they automatically think death.”

He finds himself explaining that ellenor cares for people in their own homes as well as at the hospice, and that its work is not about the last days of life, or about older people.

For Danny, those conversations have become one of the most worthwhile parts of the job.

“I think once they find out who we are and what we do, it gives them more of a drive to actually want to purchase something because they want to put towards the charity.”

For Danny, that is one of the best things about being there. People come in looking for a bear and end up finding out more about ellenor.

Then there is the Memory Bear, designed by artist Becky Shepperson and sponsored by Barnes.

People can add the name of someone they love to the bear, creating a lasting tribute.

It has been a huge hit at the Hub, and Danny has seen all sorts of reactions as people choose the name they want to add.

There have been emotional moments.

And funny ones.

One woman came in after having her dad’s name added to the bear on its bottom.

She found it funny because she knew her dad would have done too.

Some of the most popular bears in the Hub aren’t painted at all. They’re knitted.

The groups made the bears and, rather than putting a price on them, Danny decided to leave them out for an open donation. People could give what they felt they could.

They sold quickly and a second batch had to be made.

Danny thinks part of their appeal is their familiarity.

“These are the sort of bears Nanny would have made. Or Mum would have made.”

For Danny, the response was a reminder of just how generous people can be.

“The generosity of people was just astounding.”

Children come looking for the bears, while their parents and grandparents often find themselves remembering the book and the film from their own childhood.

And, along the way, many are finding out what ellenor does.

Ask Danny what the past seven weeks have taught him and he talks about patience. He’s also seen a lot of kindness.

“It’s also taught me that there are still kind-hearted people out there.”

He has seen it in the shoppers who have donated, the volunteers giving their time and the local people who have knitted bears to sell for ellenor.

“It’s a good family day out. It’s interactive. It gets you out of your house especially for the young ones, it gets you off the computers.”

But there is another reason to visit.

The Bear Hunt is also a chance to find out more about ellenor. The care it provides to local people and their families, both at the hospice and in their own homes, and why the money raised through the trail matters.

With the trail ending on 13 September, there is still time to take part.

There are bears to find across Dartford, with Bear Hunt Hubs at Bluewater and The Orchard Shopping Centre.

And, as Danny has discovered over the past seven weeks, you never know who you might meet along the way or where a conversation about a bear might lead.