Eighty-seven-year-old care home resident knits hundreds of 'care bears' for newborn babies

An 87-year-old care home resident from Ridgway Court in Farnham has knitted around 500 'care bears' to give to newborn babies at Frimley Park Hospital maternity unit, as well as care home staff and residents.

When Edna Jones realised she needed to move into a care home after her husband of 43 years passed away, it was one of the senior carers who noticed Ms Jones was a very keen knitter and gave her a knitting pattern to start making teddy bears.

Mrs Jones donates them to the local hospital and before lockdown, she used to make regular trips to Frimley Park Hospital to donate the bears to the babies born there as a take-home present, for which she always received a thank-you card.

Mrs Jones said: “My great-granddaughter was in the hospital as a newborn when she was unwell. At one point we weren’t sure if she would survive. The staff there were excellent, and, after a couple of weeks, we were able to bring her home. It’s nice now to be able to repay them in some small way.”

Since lockdown, the Ridgway Court staff have continued making their deliveries, and Ms Jones continues to receive her cards.

A Frimley Health spokesperson said, “We are so grateful to Edna and all the other people who take the time to make something special for our patients or staff. They are really appreciated and can make a big difference. The support we have received from the local community has been vital, especially in the past year, which has been extremely challenging for everyone.”

’We’ve kept up the relationship and say hello each time they pass by’

Mrs Jones has been a very keen knitter for many years and has given up counting how may teddy bears she has knitted, though she estimates it must be close to 500 by now.

“When I came to Ridgway Court, senior carer Debbie Pay gave me some square knitting patterns to begin with. I then moved on to teddy bears, and I’ve got so used to them that I don’t need the pattern anymore.

“I put some of the bears on my window ledge. I once saw a child walk past with her mother and she was looking up at the teddies. I opened the window and pushed one out. The girl said something to her mum, and then she looked up, and said that I must have dropped it. But I told her it was for her daughter.

“They must have been very grateful as they visited me that evening, along with the father. The daughter made me a card to say thank you. We’ve kept up the relationship and say hello each time they pass by.”

Word has spread about Mrs Jones’s teddies and now the local schoolchildren regularly look up on their way home to see if she has made a new bear.

“My knitting has kept me very busy during lockdown, which I enjoy doing in the garden in nice weather,” added Mrs Jones.

'Edna is very quick and could probably knit them in her sleep'

Ridgway Court senior carer, Debbie Pay, has also knitted 'care bears' for her work colleagues.

“I’ve also followed in her footsteps and made about 50, including some ‘care bears’ for my colleagues in full uniform and PPE," says Ms Pay.

“Edna has been very generous and has donated them to her fellow residents, our staff team, and families too, even people just passing by the window have got one.

“Edna is very quick and could probably knit them in her sleep. She is even knitting in our video tour of the home on our website – you can see some of her teddies, and you can also see me trying to keep up!”

As a local resident for most of her life, she was familiar with the area and now a resident of Ridgway Court, says she “couldn’t wish to be in a better place.”

“My granddaughter Katie came back raving about it,” says Ms Jones. “She said I would love it and she was right. I thoroughly enjoy myself here, it’s my home. I couldn’t wish to be in a better place, and the other residents and staff feel like my family now.

“The staff look after me so well, they’re my angels. It’s been difficult this past year, but it’s made a big difference knowing I’m in a nice, safe place, and my children have made sure the staff know how happy I am. I wouldn’t be anywhere else right now.

“Now that we’re allowed visitors again my son and granddaughter have come to visit me in person, and it’s so lovely to be able to see them properly. I’m really looking forward to seeing the great-grandchildren as well, hopefully in a few weeks.”

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