On Monday, August 21st, Member of the Senedd for Mid and West Wales, Jane Dodds MS, visited Newtown Fire Station to meet the crew as well as members of the local ‘Knit and Natter Newtown’ group.

The ‘Knit and Natter’ group have recently been busy creating a collection of colourful teddy bears, each one with its own unique character.

The purpose of the teddies is for them to be given to children involved in incidents, who may find the experience overwhelming and frightening. The teddies will join the Newtown Fire Station crew members in their fire engines and will be distributed to children at incidents attended as and when they’re required. It’s hoped that the teddies will help alleviate any distress when possible, as incidents often occur unexpectedly and are unfamiliar experiences.

During the visit, a member of the ‘Knit and Natter’ group, Paula Roberts, said:

“It’s been a privilege to visit Newtown Fire Station today, meet some of the firefighters and hear how they manage their work and home lives to be retained firefighters. They all provide an invaluable service to Newtown and the surrounding area and we are so thankful to them."

"It’s wonderful to hear that our teddies will be put to such good use, not only will they bring some comfort and reassurance to children, but creating them provides us, as a group, with an opportunity to meet and socialise, as well as enabling us to continue with our woolly crafts.”