We are an artists collective, comprising of Secrect Society of Super Villain Artist members Helen Wand and Lesley Cartwright.
Our mission is to help people suffering a mental health crisis with an actual hug, via a small knitted bear wearing an uplifting message.
These bears are either given to individuals, in person, or as part of street art projects, working with partners, and are left in strategic places for people to find and take home.
Each of these little bears is an individual, unique work of art hand made using a pattern from the U.S. Spin Off magazine and dates back to 1983.
If you are interested in helping with this project, you can assist in a number of ways.
If you are a member of a craft group, perhaps your group would be willing to make some bears for us? The pattern will be supplied.
If you are willing to host a bonkers bear event please contact us.
Or even help supply some wool, we are currently entirely self funded.
We aim for this project to be as widely available as possible.
So far Bonkers Bear events have been held in Philedelphia, U.S., Albuquercue, U.S. Cheltenham, U.K., Aylesbury U.K. and individual bears have been sent to Canada, Australia , the U.S. and a number of locations in the U.K.