Can’t believe it is so long since I last updated this Blog! I have been so busy. To bring you all up to date I will let you know what has happened last year, rather than go back to 2015!
Firstly since Queensferry parish Church first became involved with teddies for tragedies in 1999 we have sent over 6,000 teddies to children who need them!
In 2016 we received 1102 teddies from local volunteers, a marvelous number. What did we do with them? 50 went as usual, to three nurses from Lochgelly, who set up Haiti Help to assist the orphans in Haiti who suffered from the 2010 earthquake and more recent hurricane last year which devastated what everyone was trying to rebuild. As the hurricane drowned all their livestock last year, they are in great need of help to rebuild their stock of goats and chickens as food source (milk, and eggs). So as well as the 50 teddies (all they could carry in their hand luggage along with medicines etc, Queensferry Teddies for Tragedies also bought a pregnant goat through their appeal. Needless to say we called this goat Claire!
Image, children in the orphanage, Haiti with our teddies, taken 2016
Nepal – we have sent 262 teddies, 1600 beanie hats, 401 scarves, 112 blankets, 266 pairs mitts various sizes and 180 other knitted items to the children and families still suffering from the Nepal earthquakes which happened early 2015. ‘The Secret Garden Disasier Relief’ is one of the many charities working to help the communities rebuild their lives and homes and they distributed the donated items.
The Scottish Emergency Resue Association, who donate fire appliances to needy countries, took 150 teddies to Romania in 1015 and in 2016 they took, along with their fire engines etc, around 400 teddies, 30 blankets, some hats scarves and mitts to the children in Moldova.
Fire engines ready to go to Moldova
Just a tiny amount of what had, to go to Moldova.
Friends of Chernobyls Children, who work with host families in the Uk to help the children still affected by the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Many families still live in the affected areas, and the effects of this diaster is estimated to lie in the land hence the water and the air, for 24,000 years. Friends of Chernobyl give groups of children a month long pregarmme each year for around 5 years, giving recuperative health care, English lessons and most importantly loving tender care from their Uk host families. There are 25 satellite groups in Scotland, England, Wales and the Isle of Man. 3 are in Scotland. We give teddies to all 3 Scottish groups, Almond Valley in Linlithgow, West Lothian Group in Broxburn and Maray Group up in Moray. These teddies are treasured by the children and their siblings.
Child in Chernobyl receiving a teddy.
Blythswood Care in Glasgow – make an annual appeal for hats, scarves, mitts for their Christmas Shoe Box appeal. We sent them 585 hats, 72 scarves, 43 pairs mitts, 2 blankets and 15 other knitted items.
Blythswood sorting depot
We also sent 300 teddies to London to go to Syria with ‘Hand in Hand for Syria’ charity who said they could guarantee they would arrive safely.
We participate in our local annual Queensferry Fair Day parade, in August to raise awareness of Teddies for Tragedies. In 2016 our co-ordinator was on a Honda Goldwings Trike dressed in a teddy suit!
Several of the other bikes also had giant knitted teddies on them too!
Our annual Teddy Blessing Service was held in Queensferry parish Church in September. the congregation enjoy participating in this. Below we are setting up the church ready for the service.
Our annual fundraising coffee morning was a success this year raising £675.01. A big thank you to all who contributed and helped with this.
All in all a very busy year. 2017 looks to be just as busy, stocks are gathering and plans are afoot for distribution. I hope it does not take me solong to update in future!
Happy New Year!
Teddies for Tragedies - Claire's Page 