On Friday, Telford’s MP, Lucy Allan accompanied Her Royal Highness, Princess Alexandra and Telford & Wrekin Mayor, Cllr Raj Mehta as they visited a teddy bear factory in Ironbridge.
Merrythought has handmade traditional teddy bears in the World Heritage Site of Ironbridge, Telford since 1930. It is a family run business famous for crafting the finest, jointed, mohair teddy bears adored by children and adults across the world.
The visit included a tour of the factory led by Managing Director, Sarah Holmes where guests got to see first-hand the detailed work that goes into hand making each teddy bear.
At the end of the visit, the Princess was gifted with a bespoke bear to take home, presented by longest serving staff member Wendy Edwards.
Following the visit, Lucy Allan said:
“It was a great pleasure to join HRH, Princess Alexandra and the Mayor in what was a truly remarkable visit to Merrythought.
“I was so impressed by the detailed work that goes into crafting each teddy bear by the dedicated and enthusiastic factory workers.
“Merrythought has a bright future ahead and I will be assisting them with the Department for International Trade to expand their products to the Far East.”