Knitting bears for sick children

By Victoria Bartlett
BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight

Jean keeps track of how many teddies she knits and where they go

Over the last ten years Hampshire woman, Jean Biddle, has knitted over 1,000 teddy bears for sick children around the world.

Mrs Biddle, 81, started making the bears for the charity Teddies for Tragedies when she started attending a knitting club in Fordingbridge.

"The Knit Wit club gather to knit all sorts of items for charity - you can help yourself to wool and then return the finished articles to be sent off." said Jean.

"I got asked to do teddies years ago, and now here we are over 1,000 later - it's what I'm known for. I don't know what I'd do if they asked me to stop!"

Dedicated to children

Jean was a physiotherapist for physically disabled children for 25 years so she likes to continue helping children and contributing to charity in this way.

"I'm still in contact with a lot of the people I treated as children, which means a lot to me" explained Jean.

"It's nice also to hear where these teddies go. We often get letters telling us who has received the knitted items we send off."

Teddies for Tragedies

In 1986 a washable knitted teddy was added to a consignment of medicines going to a refugee camp in the Sudan.

The doctors replied: "These teddies do more good than the medicines. They cheer the children up, give them hope, and soon they are on the road to recovery."

So teddy knitting began and in 1991, Teddies for Tragedies began in Guildford, Surrey.

There are now many branches throughout the country collecting, checking and packing the toys to send to children in tragic circumstances.

Rewarding

Jean is so practiced that she can complete a teddy bear in a day

"I can knit a teddy without looking at it - they are so simple. I probably make about three a week.

"It gives me something to do, it's fun and hopefully somebody enjoys what I make.

"I branch out occasionally and knit jumpers for children but I prefer to stick with eddies. Jumpers are a lot more tricky - I nearly went beserk knitting the first one I made. I was constantly at my neighbour's house asking for help!"

Jean feels that she gets other benefits from her efforts:

"My husband died three years ago so keeping busy with things like this stops me from getting lonely. It's therapeutic too and keeps my craft skills going.

"I've always been interested in crafts - making my own clothes and clothes for my children, painting and now it's knitting teddies!"

Women's Institute

Jean is also a dedicated member of the Hyde and Frogham Women's Institute, which has helped develop her craft skills and introduced her to the knitting group.

She swore she would never join the WI but she was convinced to try it out 26 years ago: "I moved to Frogham after retiring and the lady opposite was the president of the local group - she took me along to a meeting and within a week I knew more people than I had met in 50 years living in London.

"People annoy me when they think the WI is all 'Jam and Jerusalem' - it's not the case! They should forget that stereotype.

"It's like knitting - there's more to it than you think and it's becoming trendy again!"