Michael Rosen signed her copy. More than 40 years later, she still has it.
"I've always thought Michael Rosen was such a lovely man. I don't know him personally, but he wrote in a way that completely understood children. He was on their level."
That childhood memory was one reason Catherine didn't hesitate when ellenor asked her to auction the sculptures from its We're Going on a Bear Hunt art trail.
Since launching earlier this summer, the trail has transformed Dartford and reached into Bluewater turning streets, parks and public spaces into an open-air gallery. Created by artists, schools, businesses and community groups, the sculptures are raising vital funds for ellenor, helping local families access specialist hospice care and support.
"I've read We're Going on a Bear Hunt to my children countless times," she says. "It's one of those books you just love."
But it wasn't just childhood nostalgia that persuaded one of Britain's best-known auctioneers to say yes.
After graduating, she began working at Sotheby's before becoming one of the country's best-known auctioneers and a familiar face on Flog It!, Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip. Today, requests to support charity auctions are a regular part of her work, and she can't accept every invitation.
Today, requests to support charity auctions arrive regularly, and Catherine can't say yes to them all. But this one immediately struck a chord.
"I've read We're Going on a Bear Hunt to my children many, many times," she says. "I think ellenor is a great charity. It's an important charity, and I think it's good to create awareness of it.
For Catherine, it’s the stories that have always resonated.
"People often think an auction is about what something's worth. Actually, it's usually the story behind it that gives it its value. That's the part I've always loved."
It's a philosophy that's shaped her entire career.
Starting her own auction house, however, was a leap into the unknown.
"I thought I'd do one auction and see what happened. If it worked, brilliant. If it didn't, I'd just go back to working for an auction house."
She never went back.
Around 150 people turned up to that first sale. It was an incredible, bustling room!
"It was absolute carnage," she laughs. "We even had a coachload of people arrive. The sale made about three times what we'd expected and I thought, 'Well... I suppose I'd better carry on.”
Over the years she's auctioned everything from John Lennon's glasses and Winston Churchill's cigars to Suffragette hunger strike medals and forgotten gold coins discovered hidden in old pill packets. Earlier in her career, she also helped catalogue one of the world's most famous horology sales, watching an extraordinary Patek Philippe pocket watch sell for £8 million.
Yet for all the remarkable lots she's handled, Catherine insists it has never really been about the objects.
"I love hearing the stories behind things. I always have."
It's also why ellenor's work resonates so strongly.
After her father died, Catherine experienced first-hand the support hospice care can offer families.
"I think a lot of people still assume hospices are only about the very end of life," she says.
"You don't really realise how much they do until you need them. A lot of younger people think, 'That's for one day in the future,' but it isn't. It's for everybody. That's why we need to keep raising awareness."
She hopes the Bear Hunt auction will help challenge those misconceptions.
"This is the first art trail I've ever been involved with, so I genuinely don't know what to expect."
She does know, however, that this won't feel like a typical auction.
"Normally people are bidding for an object. This is different. They'll be buying something they love, but hopefully they'll also be supporting a charity they believe in."
She hopes many of the bears will continue telling ellenor's story long after the trail has ended.
"I'd love to see some of them outside company headquarters or in reception areas. They'll keep reminding people about ellenor and the support it provides to local families."
As for anyone hoping to take one home?
Catherine laughs.
"Have another drink!"
But beneath the joke is a more heartfelt message.
"Do the trail. Learn about the artists. Find the bear that really speaks to you. But also take the time to learn about ellenor and the difference it makes. That's what this is really about."
This September, Catherine hopes the Bear Hunt sculptures will create stories of their own. Long after they've found new homes, she'll be hoping they continue to spark conversations not just about art or childhood, but about the local hospice that's there for families when they need it most.
The Bear Hunt Auction takes place on Thursday 1 October 2026, when the sculptures from ellenor's We're Going on a Bear Hunt art trail will go under the hammer to raise vital funds for local hospice care.
Every successful bid will help ellenor continue providing vital care and support to local people with life-limiting illness and those who care for them across North Kent and Bexley.
To register to bid, or to find out more, visit https://dartfordbearhunt.co.uk/auction/.
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