Grantham funeral directors teams up with mum and daughter who make bears out of loved ones clothing

A funeral directors has joined up with a mum and daughter who make ‘memory bears’ out of loved ones’ clothing to help people deal with bereavement.

Susan Garrett, who launched ‘Sewing by Sue’ after losing her husband Terry in 2015, contacted Robert Holland Funeral Directors on St Catherine’s Road, to ask if they would be interested in selling the bears.

Sue, 62, launched the business alongside her daughter Amanda, in 2015 after her husband Terry, who was the brother of popular Granthamian - big George - passed away, aged 62.

Instead of giving his clothes away, Sue wanted a special way for his children and grandchildren to remember their dad and grandad and started making cushions and quilts out of his favourite clothing.

His daughter, Amanda, 42, of Edward Street, Grantham, said: “I’ve got a cushion in each room and always feel like I’ve got a bit of dad with me.”

But it wasn’t until a friend’s mum passed away that they decided to give it a go.

Amanda, 42, added: “My friend turned up at our door with five suitcases of her mum’s clothes. She didn’t know what to do with them so we sat and went through them all together and mum ended up making quilts for all her family.”

After that, they decided to launch Sewing by Sue.

Sue, who lives on Wensleydale Close, Grantham, said: “Amanda takes all the bookings and does all the liaising, whereas I like to stay more in the background and do all the stitching.”

The pair described how people have come from all over to see them.

Sue added: “Many people don’t want to post the clothes as they are too precious so will come to my house. We often spend hours chatting about the person behind the bear. Every bear has a story behind it.”

There have been a few heartbreaking tales along the way.

Amanda said: “We once had a lady who knew she was going to pass away and wanted to have 26 bears made in time for her funeral.

“She told us that she wanted her children and grandchildren to still have a piece of her with them when she’d gone.”

Determined to get it done, the pair pulled several all-nighters.

Amanda added: “ The lady had left instructions for her daughter to collect the bears and hand them out during her funeral. There were lots of tears.”

Robert Holland, who was only too pleased to host the bears, said: “We are really excited to be working with Sue and Amanda.

“They approached us and brought along a few of the bears. We were so impressed and thought that it was such a unique and novel idea.”

Since launching the bears last week, the family-run funeral directors has already received lots of interest.

Robert added: “We get a lot of people who don’t know what to do with their loved one’s clothing or might say ‘Dad is always cuddling mum’s cardigan.’

“Many take them to charity but now they have another choice. Every bear is different and personal to the owner. They can sit and hold it for comfort. It is very tactile.”

The bears, which only cost £27, can be purchased directly from Robert Holland Funeral Directors or by contacting Sue and Amanda on their ‘Sewing by Sue’ Facebook page.

Sue added: “We wanted to keep them at an affordable price so everyone can afford to get one.

“We get such pleasure out of seeing people’s faces when we hand their bears over to them.

“That’s what it is all about - being able to bring a bit of a joy during a difficult time.”