WOJTEK, the bear that has become a symbol of unity among two communities, is to get pride of place on a special bus in Edinburgh as part of an attempt to raise funds for a permanent memorial to the animal and the soldiers who saved it as a cub.

The Wojtek Memorial Trust unveiled the Lothian Buses "Soldier Bear" vehicle. No 889, based at the Marine Depot, has been donated to the Trust for a year by Lothian Buses.

Wojtek was saved by Polish soldiers in Italy in 1944 and later settled in Scotland. He died in 1963. Picture: Steve Cox