IF you go down to Lindsey Holden's house you're sure for a big surprise.

For every bear that ever there was -- or 500 of them at least -- take pride of place in the 26-year-old's bedroom.

And having kept them hidden away for the best part of 20 years, Lindsey is preparing to put them on display for the very first time when she shows them off at a fund-raising church fair later this month.

Lindsey hopes the attraction of a sloath of bears will pull people into St Leonard's, Langho, for an exclusive glimpse of her pride and joy.

Lindsey, a quotations adviser with Clitheroe-based Ultraframe, started collecting teddies when she was nine years old. She saved her pocket money and purchased her first bear -- and hasn't looked back since.

"It cost me £6.99 and I have still got it," said Lindsey, of Moorland Road, Langho. "I started getting them for Christmas and my birthday, and when I got older and could afford my own, I started buying them for myself. I buy anywhere between two to six a month."

Her collection quickly swelled and has not all but taken over her bedroom.

She said: "They are on the shelves, on wardrobes, all over the room. There is hardly any room for me in there."

Lindsey's bear-booty is not just confined to the fluffy variety. She has teapots, ornaments -- basically anything teddy bear related.

But it's the cuddly-kind she prefers. And then not just any old bear.

She said: "It's all in the faces. A good bear has to have a cute face with nice eyes. Even the same make of teddy bears can look different."

A select few of Lindsey's bears have names -- such as twins Ronnie and Reggie -- but there are just too many to personalise. And she treats them all as equals, claiming to have one favourite would be "totally unfair."

She freely admits that most people -- including boyfriend of 12 years Greg Walker -- think she's mad, but she's adamant the bears are with her for good.

She said: "I'm not thinking of moving home yet but when I do the bears will come with me. I'll just have to find a house with a spare room to fit them in."

Lindsey is displaying her bears at Langho Community Centre, on November 24.