PEOPLE in Bridestowe have donated nearly 100 teddies to send to deprived and traumatised children around the world.

There was a big response to the appeal by St Bridget’s Church and the Methodist Church in Bridestowe in the run up to Christmas.

An amazing 98 teddies are being sent to charity the Teddy Trust, which sends donations of teddies out to children in orphanages and refugee camps worldwide.

Donations of cash were also given to pay for the teddies to be sent to the charity’s HQ in Herefordshire.

Organiser Jenny Reynolds said she had come up with the idea after finding out about the charity when she was looking to donate a box of soft toys during a house move.

She said: ‘The charity founder, Ellie, emailed recently and said “people really love what we’re doing and our teddies are doing a lot of good with the children we send them to”. 

‘We get such lovely stories back of children running out of tents to follow the teddy lorry when it arrives in camps and then squealing with delight when they are given out. Teddy becomes their best friend!”  

Jenny said the response from people in the Bridestowe area had been overwhelming, with many teddies donated during the recent Christmas Tree Festival in St Bridget’s Church.

’Many people, of all ages made quite a sacrifice by giving their beloved teddy, but we hope they will be comforted by the fact that many children are going to get huge comfort from them in circumstances we cannot even imagine,’ she said.

‘The whole idea really caught on and we are immensely grateful to everyone who contributed furry friends, large and small, to enable us to send such a wonderful number of parcels.’

She also thanked local removal company Reddaways Removals for donating boxes to send the Bridestowe teddies to the trust.

‘We will be sending them in the New Year and you can be sure that, when they reach their new owners, they will be cuddled and loved more than ever before,’ said Jenny.