Teddy in the Edinburgh garden, c.1916 Teddy’s family, the Mackay’s, lived on a rubber plantation, Tebrau Estate (26 miles from Singapore) in what was then called Malaya and is now Malaysia. In 1915 their first child Norman was born. He wasn’t a very healthy baby and wasn’t thriving in Singapore, so his mother took him …
The story of Teddy, an old bear belonging to Sue Busby Read More »
Teddy was a gift from my parents when I was a few months old. I had two precious toys: Teddy, and a doll called Minnie, who was made from pieces of cloth. She had been made by my grandmother who was a terrific dressmaker, and was passed down to me through the family. She had …
The story of Teddy, a bear belonging to Margaret Forsyth Read More »
I was given Ted when I was newly born, 56 years ago. He came from a Glasgow toy shop. I remember him lying in my small bed beside me when I was little. As a child, whenever I was sad I’d wind him up and listen to the music of Brahms Lullaby coming from Ted’s …
The story of Ted, a bear belonging to Joyce Cowie Read More »
I first got the idea for Leith Toy Hospital from my own childhood bear, Lovely Bear, who had numerous treatments from my Mum when I was a child. I asked her to tell his story. “I bought Lovely Bear from a school fair in Creigiau, Cardiff as a present for a friend’s child, but Mari …
Lovely Bear: the Inspiration for Leith Toy Hospital Read More »
Elaine said “When I was three, I was given a doll for Christmas. I called her Angela: I don’t know why, as I didn’t know any Angelas. She was big, and had curly hair just like my mum’s. She came from Woolworths, in 1961. I took her to bed with me every night, so she …
The story of Angela: a 60-year-old doll belonging to Elaine Chambers Read More »
Ted: a 56-year-old bear belonging to Mary Gallacher Mary’s bear Ted visited the toy hospital in April 2020. Mary shared her memories of Ted. She said “Ted was given to me for a Christmas present when I was only four months old, so he has always been there for me. He has helped me through …
Clare: a doll belonging to Julie Jones I never liked dolls much as a child (I much preferred marching my plastic farm animals up and down), but one little doll was close to my heart. I called her Clare. Clare before treatment Clare with her new eyes As a child, I always took part in …
Champion – a 75-year-old leather horse belonging to Ali Moir Ali said “My grandfather served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in Egypt in the 1940s, and in 1944/45 he brought home a little leather horse as a present for his five-year-old son (who grew up to be my dad). Dad remembers looking after Champion …
Paddy: a ten-year-old owl belonging to Cathy Mungall-Baldwin Cathy said: “I bought Paddy from the Oxford University shop in Guildford Grove. I saw him in the window and realised I wasn’t moving on without him. He helped me get through my PhD thesis by looking cute and cuddling me in my flat. I am a …
Here at Leith Toy Hospital, designing different types of face masks has been a really interesting and fun new venture for us. We’ve constantly been refining the design of our masks based on customer feedback. We’re very excited to announce some new customisable features that we hope you’re interested in trying out! Cocktail Masks Enjoy …