Charity
Chief Nurse, Joanne Bennis (left) and Dr David Staples (front right) at the hospital’s Amazon Children’s
Three millionth teddy
Dr David Staples presented the landmark comfort bear to Peterborough City Hospital Peterborough City Hospital has been presented with the three millionth bear from Teddies for Loving Care (TLC). TLC is a scheme that provides teddy bears for children who attend accident and emergencydepartments in England and Wales. The scheme is led and funded by Freemasons who also volunteer hundreds of hours each year. North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which operates both Peterborough City and Hinchingbrooke Hospitals, have been part of the scheme since 2003 and shares the bears with children to comfort them, reward them for their bravery and to demonstrate procedures. The landmark bear was presented to Jackie James, Peterborough City Hospital’s play specialist, by Dr David Staples, a hospital clinician and CEO and Grand Secretary of UGLE. Jackie said, ‘The Teddies for Loving Care bears are very special to us in the emergency department and have a wonderful, positive impact on children who are receiving care.’ Children are often first met with a bear when they arrive at the hospital’s emergency department, and the
sight of the friendly face can help them in a number of ways. Jackie continued, ‘When a child first arrives at hospital, not only are they feeling unwell but they may also be scared and anxious. I like to meet children off an ambulance with a bear to provide some comfort and help make them feel at ease. The bears are also a great way of showing children what to expect from different procedures and I’ve seen a number of bears leave the hospital with matching bandages!’ Dr David Staples added, ‘We are delighted to be able to present the three millionth bear from this initiative to the hard-working staff at Peterborough City Hospital. As a doctor, who also works at
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this hospital, I know how important these bears can be; both for the children who receive them and the staff who give them. ‘This simple but effective idea was started by Freemasons in Essex in 2001 and since then has been rolled out across the UK and Wales. The programme also benefits the community through the accident and emergency departments that serve them, and Freemasons will continue their efforts to donate these bears nationwide to children when they are feeling at their most vulnerable.’ There are 47 regional Teddies for Loving Care programmes across England and Wales that provide teddies for their local A&E departments. Once a hospital joins the scheme they can replenish teddies on request through their local representative. Some Teddies for Loving Care programmes also donate a portion of their funds towards teddies for minor injuries units, children’s wards and hospices; there are even teddies flying on air ambulances. The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity) provides central support and administration for each Provincial TLC scheme. 65
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