SHOPPERS in Worcester have been thanked for donating to the County Air Ambulance - after being persuaded to give by a touring teddy bear.

Toby, a 3ft bear, spent a day in the front window of Debenhams, in the city's High Street, before meeting crowds in the CrownGate shopping arcade.

He then took part in a teddy bears' picnic and visited Perdiswell Primary School in one of the service's helicopters. £680.10 was raised.

"It's satisfying to know that every penny we've raised goes towards saving lives," said Vanessa Chibnall, an administrator at Debenhams, which owns Toby and is sending him on a nationwide charity trip.