NIMBLE-FINGERED volunteers at Weston General Hospital have raised more than £3,000 for the hospital after knitting and selling toy bears, known affectionately as ‘hospital teds’.

The hospital has sold over 6,000 of the popular bears, which are priced at 50 pence each, with the three thousand pound milestone being passed this week.

The fund-raising milestone also coincides with Volunteers Week, which celebrates the contribution that volunteers make across the UK.

Volunteers’ manager, Sue Tarpey said: “The idea for the project came about after some knitted bears were donated to us by a member of the public, who thought we could sell them to raise funds for the hospital.

“We began selling the teddies though I don’t think any of us could have guessed just how popular the bears would be.

“The first batch sold so quickly that we asked some of our volunteers to knit even more, and since then the bears have been in such high demand that they are on permanent sale at the hospital.”

Proceeds from the project are put back into the hospital, with the aim being to improve patients’ experience of their stay.

Sue added: “All our proceeds directly benefit our patients and go towards the little things that make a difference to a patient’s stay in the hospital, for example, games to keep patients occupied or adapted cutlery for our elderly patients.”

“Our volunteers at the Trust are absolute stars who always go the extra mile.

“It’s wonderful to have such dedicated people who sacrifice their own free time to support the hospital.”

Doreen Morris, a volunteer at the hospital who has knitted more than 100 bears, said: “As soon as I heard about the appeal I immediately wanted to get involved.

“Knitting keeps the mind alert and it’s a great feeling knowing that my contribution will benefit the hospital’s patients.”

Sue adds: “Our volunteers at the Trust are absolute stars who always go the extra mile. It’s wonderful to have such dedicated people who sacrifice their own free time to support the hospital.”

To find out more about volunteering at Weston General Hospital, visit www.waht.nhs.uk and head to the ‘Working with us’ and then ‘Volunteering’ pages.