AN 88-year-old Droitwich woman has been hand knitting teddy bears to be sent out to the war-torn country of Syria.

Dorothy Holman has been knitting the bears for several years using a pattern called ‘Teddies for Tragedies’ and this current consignment is about to be added to hundreds of others, before 400 of the teddies are sent out to young Syrian refugees later this month.

Mrs Holman, said: “I have always enjoyed knitting, and knowing that these teddies will bring a smile to a child somewhere is a wonderful thought. It is no trouble to knit up oddments of wool and then when I have a reasonable number of bears I deliver them to the co-ordinator. I also make a small draw string bags to accompany each teddy so the children can carry them around.”

The teddies, which are all knitted or crocheted by volunteers, are transported overseas to troubled areas around the world such as war zones, refugee camps and areas of natural disaster, where they provide comfort for children living in extremely difficult situations.

The pattern for the teddies and for the carry bag is available online at teddiesfortragedies.org.uk/ or people wanting to help can contact their local Teddies for Tragedies coordinator Chris Doncaster on 01562 745550 or write to chris.doncaster@btinternet.com.