Media centre

Wednesday 29 Jul 2026

The bear necessities: Trackside rescue reunites Honey Bear and her family

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: East Coast

A treasured teddy bear which has been in the same family for decades was reunited with its owners after falling onto the tracks at London King’s Cross station.

At about 3pm on Friday 18 July, Honey Bear was accidentally dropped into the gap between the train and platform as the family boarded a service to York from Platform 7.

The incident was reported to station staff and Jonathan Smith, Network Rail mobile operations manager attended the station. He safely recovered the teddy from the track and arranged its safe return to its three-year-old owner.

Honey Bear is no ordinary teddy. It originally belonged to Sam Walsh 33 years ago, and has since been handed down to his daughter, so holds significant sentimental value.

Following the recovery, Jonathan went the extra mile by contacting the family, sending photos of Honey Bear safe and well, and providing clear guidance on how the bear could be collected.

Honey Bear’s unfortunate topple off the platform is an important reminder to stay away from the edge of the platform when waiting for a train and take extra care with valuables when boarding and alighting. If you do drop something onto the tracks, never attempt to retrieve the item yourself – always ask a member of staff for help.

Praising the care and compassion shown by Network Rail staff, Sam Walsh, Honey Bear’s original owner, said:

“Thank God for Jonathan Smith. He retrieved Honey Bear within hours and sent me both an email and text to let me know he was safe, along with a series of photos that reassured and delighted both a traumatised three-year-old and her dad.

“Jonathan, or ‘Honey Bear’s Friend Jon’ as we now call him, was super responsive and dealt with the situation with a level of empathy, understanding and well-judged humour that was genuinely touching.

“He couldn't have known the emotional significance of that old bear, but he went out of his way to help two strangers anyway. That’s the stuff heroes are made of.

“There is a little girl who will be talking about Honey Bear’s Friend Jon for a long time to come.”

Toby Meadows, customer service manager at London King’s Cross station, said:

“Our teams are always ready to help customers and this story shows the care and commitment they bring to their roles every day.

“While we were pleased to reunite Honey Bear with his family, it is also an important reminder that customers should never attempt to retrieve items themselves if they fall onto the railway. Always speak to a member of station staff, who can arrange for items to be recovered safely.”

Click here to read more about staying safe in stations.