Teddy character will help youngsters with mental health issues

My Teddy in a Tin comes with a range of poems written by Nathalie to cover potential issues such as anxiety, separation, loneliness, sleep difficulties, loss and worry.

Now Nathalie, a mental health nurse from Huntingdon, has teamed up with local illustrator Dannii Summerfield on a new book called Tiny Ted's Tin.

She came up with the My Teddy in a Tin idea while she was on maternity leave during the pandemic which, she says, has added to children's worries.

Nathalie said she found early on that she enjoyed working with children with learning difficulties and trained as a mental health nurse, now specialising in children and adolescents.

"I had always been creative and had previously done an art and design course and so I put them together to create My Teddy in a Tin," Nathalie said.

"Some children have a security blanket or a bear for support but I wanted a small bear which was more discreet."

She said there were now 26 different types of the bear and she has sold 3,000 in a matter of months.

"I had always wanted my own business and it has been a really great experience. I would love to be able to carry on with the business and working with young people," she said.

Nathalie said she wanted to combine the My Teddy in a Tin business with caring for young people and to create more titles in the bear book range.

She said she needed an illustrator for the book and met Dannii who shared her passion for tackling mental health problems in children and young adults.

"The illustrations are brilliant and exactly how I imagined everything," Natalie said.

Tiny Ted's Tin is for four to seven-year olds and aims to normalise feelings of worry and anxiety and teaches the importance of talking about feelings and seeking support from others.

Further information is available from Instagram at my.teddy.in.a.tin and the website https://www.myteddyinatin.co.uk/