Teddies for Tragedies

History

“Teddies for Tragedies is not a registered charity, it has no central organisation, no rules, regulations, or subscription fees. It is just a knitting pattern.”

It is believed Teddies for Tragedies has been around since 1985, when a lady knitted a washable bear from an old teddy pattern, and included it in a box for Charity. It was a great hit and more were asked for.

In 1986 the first Teddies were sent to the Sudan by WRVS workers, to a temporary orphanage, in a refugee camp, for 2,000 children with TB.

The simple fact of being able to have something as comforting, cuddly and soft as a teddy bear always with you, something of your own to keep and cherish has proven to hasten healing in young children. The doctors involved have observed and documented this phenomenon which is particularly effective with young orphans. ‘Better than medicine for many,’ was how one young Sudanese doctor summed it up. When tragedy strikes somewhere in the world, the first members of society to suffer are the children. ‘Teddies for Tragedies’ works to alleviate some of the stress that prevails when these catastrophes occur. The simple gift of a hand-knitted teddy bear sends these children the message that someone in the world cares for them and that they are loved.

Teddies have gone to many places such as the Sudan, Peru, Zambia, Romania, Calcutta, Thailand, Croatia, Albania, Nepal, to name a few. It is incredible how numbers of Teddies have arrived according to need. Sadly the need is always going to be there. All too often there are civil wars, famines or natural disasters. There is also a demand for ‘Blankets for Babies’!

 South Queensferry Parish Church Involvement

South Queensferry Parish Church has been involved since 1999, when our Church Guild took up the challenge.

From October 1999 to November 2014, over 4,000 teddies ( also 350 blankets, and over 700 Beanie Hats) have been donated from South Queensferry Parish Church, to Blythswood Care, for distribution to orphaned and refugee children across the world.

You can help. Volunteers are the essential ingredient of Teddies for Tragedies. Follow our patterns to knit a bear or bears, and then hand them in to us.

If you can’t knit, why not sew a bag or bags for the bears, or help us with donations of yarn, fabric, cord, or stuffing.

There is no deadline or quota to the number of teddies and/or bags a volunteer must produce. A ball of wool and needles, a few hours spent on a craft you love, and your creation could influence a little child for the rest of his or her life.

 “Not every child who would love a teddy is tragic. A poor child anywhere, an unhappy child any day has the right to a comforting teddy.”