Teddy bear that washed-up on Cornish beach gets new lease of life
A South Wiltshire priest has been restoring the soft toy
A priest has lovingly restored a teddy bear to its former glory - after just its head was washed-up on a Cornwall beach.
Reverence Canon Eleanor Rance replied to a Twitter post a year ago, from @LegoLostAtSea, which includes posts about items found on the coast.
After the January storms in 2022, the teddy's head became washed up, nestled in seaweed and missing a body.
It was sent to Eleanor, and her son named him Sinbad (like the sailor!).
Eleanor, who is Rector of Shrewton and a former RAF chaplain, had never tried restoring a teddy bear before but enjoys sewing:
“When I saw the Twitter post, I though he looked so sad but that he could have a lot of life left in him still. I offered to try and restore him and he arrived in a cardboard envelope, smelling strongly of the sea. He was completely caked in seaweed and had stones and tiny shells in his ears.
His eyes and nose were still there and had become opaque, like sea glass. He must have been in the sea for ages. He must have been loved very much once, but there is no way of knowing who he belonged to.”
Eleanor's now given Sinbad a body, and he stands around 50 centimetres high, ready for a new lease of life!
She's taken Sinbad into a care home to visit residents, and into schools for assemblies, observing how people respond to his story, he now has a future as a therapy bear.
Eleanor said: "The fact that he was battered and wounded but could still have a life and a future – it’s a story we all understand and relate to. People who meet him want to love and care for him, as I did."