FREEMASONS in Cheshire have donated nearly 7,000 cuddly teddy bears to hospitals in the county – including Warrington and Halton General hospitals.
A visit to the hospital can be a scary experience for a young child, especially in an emergency situation and to help ease the anxiety Freemasons have donated the teddies over the last year.
Through their Teddies for Loving Care (TLC) programme, Freemason provide new teddy bears to provide much-needed comfort to children in emergency departments, helping to reduce the shock and distress of their experience.
Every child that receives a teddy gets to take it home.
The TLC program is a national initiative run by Freemasons across England and Wales. Since its launch in 2001, over 3.5 million teddy bears have been donated to hospitals. It is locally managed by Freemasons who also volunteer their time to run the scheme. Since its inception in 2001, 3.5 million teddies have been distributed to hospitals throughout England and Wales.
The work of TLC is funded through the generous donations of Freemasons, their families and supporters of the programme. Many Freemasons also volunteer hundreds of hours each year to manage the scheme, deliver bears to hospitals, campaign to raise funds and increase awareness through events and talks.
Michael Ross, the senior Freemason in charge of TLC in Cheshire said that having the bears is so helpful, the children love them and they help massively in terms of building rapport with those who are afraid of the situation.
During the course of the last 12 months, Cheshire Freemasons have raised £28,645.31 and have purchased nearly 6,768 bears which have been donated to hospitals across l
The money is raised by freemasons throughout Cheshire who have organised a varied programme of events.
