Four Million TLC Bears Distributed

TEDDY THE HERO……FOUR MILLION SMILES!

Earlier this month the Masonic Charitable Foundation announced that four million TLC teddy bears have now been distributed!

TLC stands for Teddies for Loving Care, and is the scheme whereby cuddly teddy bears in a range of colours are given to sick or injured children that have been traumatised by their frightening experience and their visit to A&E. The bears are used by nursing staff to calm children, to gain their trust and even to demonstrate on the bear what is wrong with them and what the lovely nurse is going to do to make it better. The teddies are much loved by the children, by their parents and by nursing staff.

The scheme was launched in Essex in 2001 and since then nearly all the Provinces have taken up the scheme. The Province of West Wales adopted the scheme in 2005 and over 44,000 teddies have now been given to sick or injured children at Glangwili, Withybush, Prince Philip and Bronglais hospitals, plus Cardigan Health Centre and Tenby Walk-In Clinic.

That’s 44,000 smiles that have been put back on the faces of poorly West Wales toddlers!

To celebrate the fantastic 4 million milestone, the MCF invited all Provinces to submit photographs in the theme of ‘Teddy the Hero’ which they have posted on their TLC Facebook page and website.

Red Ted was about to go to a picnic when he got news that his local hospital was desperately short of TLC teddies. He leapt onto his motorcycle and delivered some in double quick time, just to put a smile on the faces of some sick or injured children in West Wales....what a hero!

(Don't worry.... he did put his crash helmet on before he drove off!)