A grandmother from the village of Abertysswg has raised £1,150 by crocheting 230 teddies in aid of the Wales Air Ambulance Charity.

Rosemarie McDuff crocheted the bears as a thank you to the Wales Air Ambulance medics after they came to the aid of people she knew that needed the lifesaving service.

Originally she made nine bears that she hoped to sell for the charity and after advertising them on social media she had 96 orders within an hour!

She spent six months, throughout lockdown, making them in the garden with the help of her seven-year-old granddaughter, Abigail Davies. Even the teddies were kitted out in full PPE during the coronavirus pandemic.

Rosemarie, who is now enjoying making baby clothes, said: “We were lucky in lockdown, I spent a lot of time in the garden with my granddaughter. I was doing different batches of the bears and then I would put them together, they were fiddly, but we got there in the end. I am proud of how many we made, and my granddaughter is so proud as well. It was for a good cause.”

The bears weren’t just a hit in her village, Rosemarie had people buying and collecting the bears from as far as Llanelli and Newbridge.  

Rosemarie is grateful to her friend Paula Williams who made the pinnies and masks for the teddies. She also had neighbours donating the odd ball of wool, which was a big help during lockdown when she couldn’t go out to buy some extra wool.

Wendy McManus, the Charity’s South-East Wales Community Fundraiser, said: “A huge thank you to Rosemarie who spent months making the teddies for the Wales Air Ambulance. Her beautiful teddies raised an amazing £1,150 for the charity. Thank you to everyone who helped Rosemarie, especially Abigail, who was with her grandmother every step of the way. You’re all helping save lives across Wales.”

There are several ways that the public can continue to support the Wales Air Ambulance. These include online donations, signing up to the Charity’s Lifesaving Lottery or by coming up with their own innovative ways to fundraise at home. Further information can be found via www.walesairambulance.com.  

Alternatively, a £5 text-message donation can be made by texting the word HELI to 70711.