Anna’s dying wish

Recounting the true story of a Norwegian St Bernard who became a war hero and won the hearts of a Scottish town is keeping Motor Neurone Disease sufferer Anna Mandell alive.

Anna (71) wrote children’s book Bamse Came Too… – the first in the series of The Adventures of Sea Scamp Bamse – in 2014, just before she was diagnosed with MND.

Anna, of Moulton Chapel, has now written a second book, which is going through the publishing process but the illness is taking hold and she may not be well enough to appreciate it when it finally makes it to print.

Husband Peter (61) said: “Anna was diagnosed with MND in December last year.

“The illness hasn’t affected her mental ability at all, just her physical side. She is slowing down and her speech has been affected. She has to write things down or use her iPad to communicate.

“There is no treatment for MND and telling Bamse’s story is what’s keeping Anna alive.”

In 1940, during the invasion of Norway, Bamse became a crew member of the KNM Thorodd, which sailed to Great Britain.

Dundee and Montrose became the regular home ports of KNM Thorodd and its crew. In both towns Bamse became known for his brave deeds and brought companionship to all with whom he came into contact.

Peter said: “Anna first learned of Bamse on a visit to Scotland in 2012.

“We had been to Aberdeen and on the way home the train stopped at Montrose.

“Anna wondered what was there and looked it up on her iPad only to discover the story of Bamse.

“It totally captured her imagination and when we returned home I asked a friend of mine, Richard Maby, to draw a caricature of Bamse in a pram. It was from this that the idea of a children’s book was born.

“The first book has been a real success – we have had many orders including some from Canada where there is a Norwegian quarter in Nova Scotia.

“Without giving too much away, the second book is based on Bamse’s bus trips. He used to get on the bus and fetch the sailors from the pub. In the end he was given his own bus pass that he used to wear around his neck!”

To offset the carbon footprint of printing a book, Anna and Peter have bought 25 acres of land in the Lake District, where they have planted Bamse’s Wood which will be Anna’s final resting place.

Peter added: “It’s fitting that Anna will be buried in a beautiful, peaceful place borne from a story which totally encapsulated her heart and brought her so much pleasure.”