We Brits are keen collectors, and most of us have started gathering a few items in our lifetime, be it autographs, dolls from around the world, fossils or magazines.

Now Angela Rippon – one of the best known faces and voices in British broadcasting – has unveiled her own collection as part of an initiative to get people to reveal what exactly they are hoarding in their closets.

If you were to go down to Angela’s house you’d be in for a big surprise – she’s a collector of teddy bears. At one point she had more than 80 bears although she has scaled things down a little today.

Angela said: “My love of teddy bears started at the age of three when I was given a 50-year-old teddy by a family friend. He’s over a hundred years old now and worn round the edges, but like my love of teddy bears he’s still going strong. I’ve been fortunate to have many bears given to me but I still find bears I can’t resist – or maybe they find me!”

Closet collectors are being urged to come forward by Norwich Union. The insurer is seeking images and anecdotes of the country’s quirkiest collections to feature in a short online movie celebrating eccentric collectors. Five winners will each receive £500.

“I’m sure there are plenty of people across the UK who have a collection they cherish as much as me,” said Angela. “I’d love to see and hear about what you collect, so let us know how it all started and what it means to you.”

Also joining the search is cricket legend, Michael Vaughan. Not surprisingly Michael’s collection is of the sporting variety. He has an entire room in his home dedicated to his collection of football and cricket memorabilia that he began in 1993 – including a prized signed bat from record-breaking cricketer Brian Lara. It all started with a shirt from his first game playing for Yorkshire, the team he still plays for.

“I became obsessed with collecting sporting memorabilia early on in my career and it’s something I’ve built up over the past 16 years,” he said. “The collection is something of a series of mementos from what has been an amazing journey for me in my career.

“However I’ve also been adding to it over the years with items from other sports, particularly football – the best one being a shirt from my all time sporting hero, Pele.”

To see pictures of the famous pair and their collections, or for your chance to win £500 and star in a short online film with Michael and Angela, log on to happysback.com. The competition closes at midnight on Friday February 20.

Local Collectors

ANDY Lane from Weymouth shares a home with around 1,000 antique finds.

His passion started at the age of 11 when he found a few bottles in a hedgerow near his home.

Andy now specialises in Dorset bottles – the products of old breweries, mineral water companies, wine & spirit companies, chemists and dairies.

“Most of these firms have since gone out of business,” Andy explained, “or were only around for a couple of years. This makes them more valuable – at least historically.”

His collection includes rare stone ginger beer bottles from Bournemouth company Tesse; as well as transfer-printed china cream pots from the Bournemouth & Stour Vale Dairy Company and coloured Weymouth mineral water bottles dating back to the 1860s.

WHENEVER I go out I usually come back with a trug, said Richard Loader, who lives near Fordingbridge.

His passion for trugs started about 13 years ago, and he now has around four dozen Trugs and wooden baskets.

Trug comes from the norse word for boat – and they are made in a similar way. Some are very much like coracles. They have been used for hundreds of years have been used to collect crops, flowers, herbs, vegetables and firewood.

“There are different shapes and sizes for different produce, and the character determined by the wood used – be it chestnut, hazel or willow – held together with copper nails and a lot of skill,” said Richard.

SUSAN Symes (pictured left) from Lymington is a member of the Solent Button Club and the owner of more than 10,000 buttons. They date back more than 400 years and are made from materials as diverse as wood, Japanese pearl and snakeskin.

Susan can tell you all about their history, who would have worn them and on what garment.