Rotarians in Cumbria and the surrounding area have been busy over the last few months collecting teddy bears to send to children whose lives have been devastated by last November’s typhoon in the Philippines.
Colin Smithson of the Rotary Club of Silloth-on-Solway got the idea when his son, who lives in the Philippines, rang to say he had been asked to work free of charge for a charity called 1,000 bear hugs. Colin said: “I mentioned it at the Rotary meeting later that day and we decided that we would collect teddy bears to send to the children.”
What began as a small collection of toys soon turned into a countywide appeal and around 10,000 teddy bears have now been collected from schools and local communities. The teddies have been packed by Rotarians into plastic bags donated by a local business and stored in an old aircraft hanger in Silloth until they can be shipped out.
Colin explained: “Of course the aid agencies are there providing food, shelter and water, but we wanted to bring some happiness to the children. We all remember how nice it is to have a teddy bear to cuddle and that’s why we thought it was a good idea.”
The teddies which come from all over Cumbria and Lancashire, along with a consignment donated by the Rotary Club of Warwick, will be packed by Rotarians into a container and shipped to the Philippines as soon as the logistics can be organised.
