A PENSIONER has donated her latest batch of knitted teddies to help comfort children who are affected by traumatic incidents.

Pauline Robinson has been knitting “trauma teddies” for several causes for more than a decade, and has given her latest creation to the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).

GNAAS carries trauma teddies on board its aircraft and the crew hand them out to children who are affected by difficult and traumatic circumstances, to comfort them and provide emotional support.

The 86-year-old from Hartlepool said: “Somebody told me that the police were wanting them for when they went to any tragedy where there was a child that might be upset.

“I thought ‘what about the air ambulance, when they go to different things, would they be interested?’ and they said yes.

“So I have knitted them one or two teddies and I hope to keep on knitting for them.”

GNAAS doctor Jeff Doran said: “Thanks to Pauline who has kindly knitted these trauma teddies in her own time. As operational crew we keep these teddies on the aircraft with us and we use them to try and help relieve suffering in case we come across a young person in distress.

“Pauline’s been hard at work and her donation of teddies will keep us going for quite a while now. We really appreciate her efforts.

Pauline embodies the spirit that keeps us flying. Last year we responded to 1042 call-outs, which simply wouldn’t have been possible without this kind of selflessness.”

If you would like to support GNAAS, please call 01325-487263 or visit www.gnaas.com