Meet the teddies feeling bear-ter after a trip to the teddy bear hospital

28 March 2025

What do you do if your teddy bear is feeling a bit unwell?

Maybe its stuffing is coming a bit loose, or it might be feeling a bit paw-ly and just needs a bit of care to get better again.

A vintage shop in Sussex has opened up a teddy bear hospital to look after bears - and it has had patients come in from all over the world.

The hospital is run by Lesley and Ken, who currently have more than 150 bears waiting to be repaired.

Here are some of the bravest bears who have made a full recovery after being in the hospital...

Elsie Bear

When Elsie came into the hospital, she didn't need a lot of surgery, but there was still work to be done to help her get better.

She was a bit limp and so needed some re-stuffing to get her back in shape.

Elsie also had a new nose so she could smell again, as well as re-attaching an ear that had fallen off.

Now Elsie is back to her old self again, and can smell and hear things much better too.

Bertie was a bit sad when he first arrived - but it was hard to tell at first, because he'd also lost his eyebrows and so couldn't frown that well.

The bear needed eight hours of surgery to get better, having new claws and a new nose fitted.

He also managed to get an extra eye to replace the one that was missing.

Now Bertie looks much happier, especially in his fab new blue jumper and bow tie.

Oscar was a very well-loved bear who need a bit of care to make him ready for hugs from his owner again.

Oscar needed lots of re-stuffing, with a total body filling giving him a whole new lease of life.

Now Oscar can't wait to get back out into the world and be the bear he's always dreamed of being.

Tristan is one of the live-in patients at the teddy bear hospital, who's having some physiotherapy to help him move around.

When Tristan arrived, his legs needed some extra stuffing, and so Lesley and Ken gave him a wheelchair to use.

Some crutches have now arrived for Tristan, so he'll be using those next as he meets the other bears coming to the hospital.

Lesley says that she became 'matron' of the teddy hospital as she wanted to help restore well loved bears back to full health.

When she was little, Lesley's mum repaired her own bear after it had been played with a bit too hard by their family dog.

As well as looking after bears, they also run a bear orphanage, where they help well loved teddies find a brand new home.