'I'm giving unwanted Plushies a new lease of life'

Jo Sorrell will donate a percentage of the toy sales to charities such as Garden House Hospice and Labrador Rescue

A card-shop owner says she wants people to "see cuddly toys in a different light" after launching a scheme to smarten up second-hand Plushies.

Jo Sorrell, 58, was inspired to start the Preloved Plushy Project at her Stevenage shop Cardies after noticing how many were being discarded.

"I was seeing some going to charity shops, and because they were marked or grubby, the charity shops couldn't do anything with them and had to throw them away," she said.

"I'm a big recycler and upcycler, so I'm keen to find a new love-life for lots of things – one man's rubbish is another man's treasure," she told the BBC.

As well as selling them in her shop, Jo Sorrell hopes to offer "plushy parcels" to charities

She explained her secret to restoring the toys so they looked nearly-new.

"A lot of people make the mistake that they just wash the teddy bear, and it gets all matted," Ms Sorrell said.

"I wash it and leave it to dry thoroughly, and then use [a] brush to bring it back to fluffiness.

"I've got labradors, and there's a specific dog brush with very fine pins that teases the undercoat.

"It's a slicker brush and it does a similar thing with the cuddly toys. Of course, I don't use the same brush that I use on my dog!"

Jo Sorrell says most toys come up looking brand new

Ms Sorrell explained that she had already been able to match up donations with keen owners.

"We had a couple of lads come in and their mum said they were looking for Super Mario characters," she said.

"There was a giant sack of washed toys we hadn't sorted, so we rummaged through it and found two Super Marios. They went away very happy!"

Another lady tagged them on social media, saying she worked with young people and one would be thrilled to have an Eeyore toy.

"Funnily enough, an Eeyore appeared the next day in one of our bags, as if by magic."

Ms Sorrell hopes people beyond Stevenage will start doing the same thing to prolong the life of soft toys.

"I'm keen that other people should take this idea up and see cuddly toys in a different light," she said.

"It's also just presenting them differently – rather than a box of sad-looking teddies in the corner – [to] make them look appealing."