Teddy’s bearing up well

Named after Theodore Roosevelt in 1902, the cuddly toys are still going strong. I’ve had mine for 50 years, says John Daly

MINE’S Ted, what’s yours called? Not an original name, but I was five when I got my teddy bear. Over the intervening half century, Ted’s been a witness to my life.

His toe got chopped helping me learn to ride a bicycle, he lost an eye when we blundered through a briar hedge after ‘apple slogging’ in a neighbour’s orchard, he got a tar stain on his leg when I dropped him on roadworks, and a torn ear when the family dog got jealous of our relationship.