VIDEO: ‘So cute’ Ballymena Bear is an internet hit

A Christmas advert for a struggling Northern Ireland market town has become an unlikely internet hit.

Tens of thousands of people have viewed the ad for Ballymena in Co Antrim since it went live three days ago.

Made on a shoestring budget, the £5,000 festive tear-jerker features a handmade linen teddy bear which falls from a parcel during delivery.

The “Ballymena Bear’s” four-minute quest to be reunited with the child for whom he was made has become a social media sensation.

Fans include Northern Irish television presenter Eamonn Holmes who said on Twitter: “I now draw your attention to #ballymenabear ..so cute. #NorthernIreland.”

Ballymena has a population of around 30,000 and is famous for actor Liam Neeson, firebrand politician Ian Paisley and Wrightbus, the firm behind London’s red buses.

The advert was commissioned by the Ballymena Business Improvement District (BID) and, according to some, the low-cost production rivals the multi-million campaigns by high-end stores such as John Lewis, Marks and Spencer and House of Fraser.