TLC Suffolk Testimonials

Hi David,

Firstly I want to introduce myself, I am a new member to masonic life at St Lukes 225, and a colleague has kindly forwarded your contact details.

Myself, wife and children attended your event at Glemham Hall earlier this year in aid of TLC, it was a fantastic event and thoroughly enjoyable. I unfortunately experienced it from the other side at the weekend when my 3-year-old son was taken to hospital and I spent a number of hours with him at Ipswich hospital following a respiratory problem that resulted in him being admitted for a short stay, fortunately he is now making a good recovery.

I write to thank you for all that you and the charity do from both my son and myself.  Whilst we were in hospital the nurse gave my son a TLC bear which he found great comfort with in the form of a simple cuddle.  However whilst they never mentioned and possibly overlooked in previous encounters with your charity, as a mason I also felt great comfort in knowing that other freemasons are looking out for my family and that I am now part of such a wonderful organisation.

I firstly wanted to take the time to personally thank you and all the other members involved as such a seemingly small thing as a teddy bear made such a huge difference to the pair of us at such a time.

I also would like to offer my help and support for the charity in any way that I can.

Kindest regards and grateful

Dear Kelvin,

Just before Christmas, I was asked by the Events Manager at Glemham Hall, if I would act as Father Christmas for two days.
Glemham Hall has always been very supportive of our Teddies for Loving Care and suggested as recompense for my services they would make a donation to the charity.
Surrounded by lots of promotional material including Big Ted, the event proved very popular and was quickly sold out with well over 100 excited children attending.
Special thanks must go to our TLC representative Dave Wilson who set up all the publicity material in Glemham Hall for the event.
Dave has since received a donation of £300 to TLC from Glemham Hall as a token of their gratitude for helping make the children’s Santa experience so successful.

Kindest regards

From a Colneis member.

Further to our conversation, here is a brief summary of a recent event

Friends of ours are registered emergency carers for social services, they were called out to Ipswich hospital some months ago to collect two youngsters who had been given drugs by their mother. The two youngsters were each given a Teddy, which they named and still have them today. They left the hospital with only the clothes they were wearing plus the two teddies. The carers told me those two teddies eased the trauma and helped them after their experience. The fosterers know I am a Mason and wanted to convey their thanks for the excellent and thoughtful scheme.

Just thought I would write and tell you how well the new style bears have been received at Ipswich hospital.
As we walked into the children’s A&E the nurses instinctively knew who we were.

We had a really good chat about how the bears are given and the joy of the children who receive them. They even told us that “regular” visitors with illness who needed regular appointments were asking for a specific colour as they were collecting them.

The nurses said the new style bears were “lush” (their own words) and so cute with the heart nose.

On their behalf thank you.

From Junior Sister Amy Conroy of Ipswich Hospital.

I think I speak for most healthcare professionals when I admit that working in a hospital in the current ‘Covid-Climate’ is most challenging.

The majority who find themselves working as nurses, doctors, and support workers do so because they have the want, sometimes the almost compulsive desire, to help others. To take away their pain. To make them feel better. In the Emergency Department, this is no easy task, particularly when the patients you care for are predominantly under 3ft tall, are highly emotionally expressive and as a rule do not wish to comply with most of the tasks we need to undertake. When families come to the Emergency Department often their children are feeling very poorly and can be in a lot of pain which in turn understandably, causes much distress to parents and carers. Some problems can be solved with a sympathetic ear, a gentle hug or a cup of coffee. For their little humans making these faces smile again can pose a bigger challenge for staff. This is where the Teddy bears we are donated can make a huge difference. Who out there cannot recall a time when burying your face into a soft bear for a cuddle made things feel better even for a second? Sometimes those tear-stained faces turn into little smiles when presented with a special Teddy, in the Emergency Department we often call them Bravery Bears. I’m sure there are countless homes in Ipswich and further afield where a small bear sits, a reminder to a small child of the time they were super brave, and the hospital visit need not be something to be frightened off.
It isn’t just the small children whose fears have been comforted by the donated Bears. For many, the hospital is a daunting and terrifying experience and staff can only do their best in a pressured, demanding environment. On a night shift some weeks ago a healthcare assistant came to the children’s area to ask for a Bravery Bear. I was momentarily perplexed since we had just discharged our last child and quickly recovered from the fact it was unlikely I had forgotten about a patient and instead proceeded to open the cupboard to get out a bear. The Healthcare assistant explained they were caring for an elderly lady with severe dementia who was inconsolable and taking turns hugging the lady was the only way to stop her cries but with so many patients needing care they needed another option. Choking back the lump in my throat, I hastily gave him two bears and said if they needed anything else to call. A short while later I wandered over to the area relieved to not hear sobbing, to be told the lady was now asleep a Bravery Bear cuddled under each arm.

These small acts of kindness we can achieve with a donated Bravery Bear not only offer comfort to our patients but also to staff, who work in the knowledge they can still try to make people feel better even in such difficult times that our NHS faces today. For this, we extend our heartfelt thanks.

Blythe Townley

I am a paediatric nurse at Ipswich Hospital and usually am on the side of receiving these bears when the lovely people from TLC appeal come in with the delivery!

However, on this occasion, I was the parent of my little boy Evan! He’d had a tumble off the climbing frame and broken his arm. A teddy was given to Evan for his bravery and the bear has not left his side since! Thank you for these lovely thoughtful gifts for the A&E department. They really do mean a lot to children in times of trouble! X

Sarah (Senior Nurse James Paget Paediatric A&E)

We had a little boy with the most bedraggled teddy I’ve ever seen. I said to his mum “Oh that’s a teddy that’s come from us at TLC.”
She said he got it when he was about 9 months old whilst in A&E and it goes everywhere with him … Literally everywhere.
Made me smile.

The 22,000th TLC Bear has been delivered to James Paget A&E

Dave Wilson our Teddies for Loving Care co-ordinator in Suffolk was delighted to deliver the 22,000th TLC Bear on a recent visit to the A&E Department at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston. Dave was greeted at the A&E Department with smiling faces and comments from the staff on how nice it was to see us again with stocks of bears running out fast due to a rise in accidents with children being on their school holidays. the bear was given to a young boy called Jack Nixon who had a ‘pulled elbow’ and as can be seen in the photo, was a little sad, however, his hand soon shot out when he saw the teddy being presented to him by Nurse Jade Kirk. His mum Gemma kindly agreed to let us take a photo, thanked us for the bear and commented on what a wonderful scheme it was, with all the nurses echoing her sentiments. A hospital visit can be a frightening experience for a young child, especially in an emergency situation – the Teddies for Loving Care initiative provides unique cuddly bears to Accident & Emergency departments for medical staff to give at their discretion to young children. the bears are used to calm children down, reward them for being brave or to demonstrate procedures. Often the bears distract children so nurses and doctors can get their jobs done quickly and efficiently. the TLC teddy has become an invaluable tool for medical professionals and a real comfort for children. The scheme has been running in Suffolk since 2005 with every child that receives a teddy getting to take it home. For more information on TLC in Suffolk contact Dave Wilson

From: Lucy
Subject: Bear

Hi, I work as a cancer Navigator in Cambridge but have a family who live in Suffolk.  They have a little boy who has one of your bears, in blue, when he was admitted into hospital when younger and only just misplaced it.

The young boy has disabilities.

His father has been diagnosed with Cancer and they would like to source another one of these bears.

Would it be possible to have one sent out to this young boy for a donation.

From David – Subject: Bear

Hi, my son has one of your blue bears this is a huge comfort to him. I am just starting a treatment plan for cancer so my son will be staying some nights with family. I am trying to get a duplicate bear so he can have one at home for when he is here and a duplicate to be left at his relatives for the overnight stays
Can you assist please?
Many thanks
David Wright

Dear sir,
I would like to send a note of gratitude in relation to Mr David Wilson of the Colneis Lodge.
I contacted this gentleman due to the fact I am just about to start a treatment plan for cancer at Addenbrooks Hospital.
My youngest son will need to stay at other family members’ homes overnight during some of my treatments.
My son has a blue TLC bear from a previous encounter with Colchester hospital.
He loves the bear and is uncomfortable if he has to go anywhere without this bear.
As we need one at home, and for when he sleeps over. I decided to see if a duplicate was possible. We are trying to keep this difficult time, as normal as possible for my son.
Mr Wilson replied to my enquiry and informed me that he would be able to assist.
I live on the Essex/Suffolk border so expected to have to arrange postage, due to the considerable distance I would need to travel to collect the bear.
Mr Wilson informed me that he would drive from his home address and deliver the bear personally. The distance, as I have mentioned, is quite considerable.
Mr Wilson arrived at my address yesterday, the 9th of October with the brand new blue bear.
My son was over the moon when he saw the new bear, in fact, the bear is now number 1 Bluey, having demoted Bluey number 2.
Bluey number 2 will now be his companion when he stays overnight at aunties homes over the next 8 weeks.
I would like to thank Mr Wilson and your lodge for your kindness. Mr Wilson went the extra mile! Probably an extra 40 miles = Felixstowe – Little Henny!
Thank you Mr Wilson for your kindness and efforts

We as a family really appreciate you and the efforts of TLC.
Kindest regards
David and Nicola

From: Claire

Subject: Message of thanks

Just wanted to show my appreciation for the bears that are donated to the James Paget Hospital in Great Yarmouth, we have recently been staying there and the bear given to my daughter gave her so much comfort in a scary and frightening time. I love that you are about to do this to help small children.

Thanks again, really appreciated
Kind regards