North Wales Fire and Rescue Service will be using soft toys hand made by a local knitting enthusiast to comfort children and vulnerable people at upsetting incidents.

The ‘Trauma Teddies’ have been used for a number of years, but stocks had been running low. A recent incident where the teddies were used to comfort a young boy and girl at the scene of a road traffic collision prompted firefighters to put out an appeal to keen knitters.

Patricia Morris, 72, from Wrexham heard about the appeal through her daughter Denise who works as a cook at Wrexham Fire Station. She has knitted dozens of bears and continues to produce multi-coloured creations.

Patricia said: “It’s a lovely idea, and I’m happy to help North Wales Fire and Rescue Service. I may even mention it to my other knitting friends so they can make even more teddies!”

The toys Patricia has knitted will be kept on board fire engines based across North Wales, and will be handed out by firefighters as and when needed.

Paul Scott, Community Safety Manager for Wrexham and Flintshire, said: “The ‘Trauma Teddies’ scheme is an excellent way to provide comfort for children and vulnerable people at traumatic incidents. Having a physical item to hold on to can really help relieve anxiety, especially in children.

“We are proud to be working with the community in this way. We would like to thank Patricia for getting involved and taking the time and effort to create each individual toy.”