Is there anyone who hasn’t kept at least one toy into adulthood, be it a threadbare teddy, mashed from years of cuddles, or a favourite model car or box of LEGO? There is something about the connection we make with toys that transcends childhood. They’re a totem for memories, a touchable, smellable conduit to the past. But unlike humans, toys don’t grow up, and the stuff they are built from eventually degrades. That’s where Leith Toy Hospital comes in, providing a toy-surgical service that aims to suture, stuff and shine toys back to their joyful original selves.

‘Keeping the spirit of the toy is a big part of our work,’ says Karlyn Finlayson, repair co-ordinator for the hospital’s teddy ward. ‘Our repair process aims to keep the toy intact and we try whenever possible not to remove parts which can be kept. We also track down the materials most true to the original style and construction.’ Finalyson describes this part of the job as akin to detective work, ‘finding out how things were put together, what might be different from the last repair and learning about a rich history of toy making from all over the world. The doll department team uses many of the same traditional methods that go back to when these toys were originally crafted.’

The hospital mainly deals in long-term restoration of toys that have been kept into adulthood, with the process taking between four and 12 weeks. But they also run an emergency Saturday Surgery for cases that can be mended on the same day. This is particularly valuable for younger customers who need their favourite toys back for comfort or sleep.

For Finlayson, both childhood and adult attachments to a toy are something she relates to. ‘I still have a toy that was made for me by both my mum and dad, a hobby horse given to me for Christmas when I was a wee girl,’ she says. It has taken on particular significance since her father passed away. ‘I think Hobby appreciates having a more sedentary retirement, but they will always be a treasure I want to keep and look after.’

Leith Toy Hospital, 64 Constitution Street, Edinburgh.