When WaveTrain Systems’ lead designer Monica Myhre-Sandmark visited Railtex this year, she had planned to grab one of Hoppecke’s teddy bears as a little present for her daughter.
The two-year-old was upset that mum left home in Norway for the three-day conference, and the teddy bear was to go someway to make amends.
But despite drafting in an extra 100 teddy bears on top of the original 300 to hand out, Hoppecke Industrial Batteries, of Newcastle-under-Lyme’s, were left bear-less by the time Monica came by.
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Hearing of her plight, Hoppecke arrange for two bears to be shipped to Monica, who – as visitors did at the exhibition – gave a donation to Mental Health Awareness Week. In total £1,000 was raised from the bears.
Monica said, ‘My little girl loves the bear so much that it is now called Basse [from the Norwegian ‘bamse’ meaning teddy].
“I will try to make her call it Hoppecke but she is not so good at talking yet, being only two.”
Hoppecke’s regional managing director for Northern Europe Jason Howlett added, ‘I’m really glad that we could help Monica out and bring a smile to her daughter’s face.
‘People just couldn’t get enough of our bears at Railtex and we are delighted to have raised this money for such a worthy organisation as the Mental Health Foundation.’
