Tsunami orphan's teddy auctioned

Some proceeds will go to help victims of the Asian tsunami

A 100-year-old teddy bear owned by an Italian girl who was rescued from a tsunami has been sold for £1,500.

Vectis Auctioneers in Stockton had hoped the toy would go for at least £1,000 to help the victims of the Asian tsunami disaster.

It was bought by Alison Wiseman, owner of the Edinburgh Bear Company and will go on display as the shop's mascot.

The bear belonged to a girl called Feodora who lost her family when a giant wave struck Sicily in 1908.

About 30% of the proceeds of the auctioneer's commission will be donated to the Asian disaster charity.

A spokeswoman for Vectis said: "The bear created a lot of interest and sparked an intense bidding session between five people - we are very pleased with how much it raised."

When the bear's owner Feodora was seven months old, she was adopted from a convent in Naples by a doctor and grew up in Sway, in Hampshire's New Forest.

Its new owner will receive a photograph of Feodora, who was named after a Russian tsarina by sailors who rescued her in the aftermath of the tsunami.

Feodora had the bear right up until her death in the 1990s. Her daughter, who does not wish to be named, put it up for sale.