Knitted Chris Martin goes on tour with Coldplay

Coldplay are taking a knitted puppet made by a woman from Shepton Mallet on tour to raise money for the air ambulance.

Sandra Witcombe from the Hive Cafe made a puppet of the Coldplay frontman at the same time as she created a window display of naked knitted figures for Glastonbury Festival.

Now, Coldplay have shared a photo of the puppet joining them on tour, in the hopes of raising more awareness of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

"We were very surprised to see the post," said Michael Alford, who runs the cafe. "We can't wait to see what else he gets up to."

Mr Alford added that they had sent the puppet to Coldplay in a box with a note saying: "Dear Chris, this is a present for you."

In response, the band asked if they could take the puppet on tour with them.

"It was a nude puppet, as a laugh," Mr Alford said. "So we had to make clothes for him to send him on tour.

"We made clothes that matched Chris Martin's outfits."

They were hoping to raise awareness of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, after a member of the team relied on the service when she got hurt during a walk in the woods.

"The air ambulance is so important in rural areas and they rely on donations," Mr Alford said.

He added that it surprised him to see the post of the very familar puppet on such a big social media account.

"They're only normal people after all," he said. "And it's a good cause."

Tracy Bartram, Communications Manager at Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance said: “Wow, Sandra is at it again and we are so grateful that she continues to think of us as charity to support, when creating her figures.

"As a local, life-saving charity, which is funded by the public, we appreciate her efforts so much.

"The fact that Coldplay have shared this across their social media channels is really special too, given the number of people who love their music, just like us!

"Our thanks, as ever go to Sandra for creating these lovely figures in aid of the charity, and to everyone who supports our cause because of what she is doing. This has put a smile on our faces today!”

Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.