Hug Bug Keepsakes, based in West Kilbride, create beautiful keepsakes from clothing to help you remember a special person, moment or milestone.

After the sad passing of her daughter Natalie Cormack, Lynn McLaren, who is behind the creative business, sought solace in her needle and thread, transforming the teenager’s clothing into keepsakes to help her through her grief.

Lynn later set up Hug Bug after discovering that she could help others with her sewing talents.

She said: “A friend of mine a few years earlier had shared teddy bears that she had made for her children when her ex-husband had passed away. At the time, I thought it was a lovely idea.

“When my daughter passed away, I had a wardrobe, floor and a loft full of clothes, and I thought, ‘you know what, I am going to see if any of her friends and family want a keepsake made..’

“It started out like that, then people started asking if I would make keepsakes through word of mouth. So I put the page together.”

Lynn’s high quality keepsakes can take the form of teddy bears, cushions and quilts, but she also will work with each person’s requests to ensure the memory is special.

She continued: “If I have the technical knowledge to do it on a sewing machine, I will do my best. I can embroider a poem onto an item, or a phrase or a nickname that a person used, I include as many personal details to the item as possible to keep it unique.”

Lynn is now helping to raise vital funds for the Ayrshire Hospice through the sales of their memory toys.

She added: “Sadly one of my friends has had to use the Ayrshire Hospice, she was quite an avid fundraiser for them. So if you mention “Ayrshire Hospice” when if you order a memory toy, we will donate £5 to the hospice.”

Visit https://www.facebook.com/hugbugmemorytoys