Freemasons Teddys help celebrate NHS Workers Day

Charlie Yelland Assistant Head of the Devonshire Freemasons accompanied by Keith Bower visited the children's section of North Devon District Hospital on behalf of Devon Freemasons Teddies for Loving Care (DFTLC).

Their visit was to support an initiative by the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) to support "NHS Workers Day on the 5th July" when the work undertaken by all carers, especially during the recent Pandemic is to be celebrated.

The acknowledgement was in the form of some larger teddies donated for the children's play room and more especially some specially commissioned teddy bear pin badges where the teddies sported nurse's uniforms. These were very much appreciated by the nursing staff who pinned them onto their own uniforms and lanyards immediately.

Charlie and Keith heard many stories about the benefits of the teddies to children in hospital, attached is a scanned copy of a letter to DFTLC from Senior Paediatric Staff Nurse Jane Dickinson who sums up how the teddies are utilised. There are many examples of this and one I heard some years ago from a radiologist was that she has probably "X-Rayed more teddies then she has children" in order to demonstrate that the machine will do no harm.

Also attached is a letter from Harleys Mother. Harley was a patient and the letter is a viewpoint from the parent's point of view.

To hear such stories was humbling and the dedication and commitment of the doctors and nurses especially during the current Covid19 pandemic was awe inspiring, it certainly indicates that the teddies charity is a really worthwhile cause ……it definitely makes a difference.

Just as they were leaving the building after their visit the Matron was observed creeping down the corridor with a large teddy safely in her arms which we are sure was going to find a home in her office!

The following day W Bro Brian Sargent delivered playroom teddies and Nurse Pins to Kingsbridge Hospital. The new bears have the facility to write the bears name on the label and Brian reports that this hospital has named all the coloured bears as follows:- Green=George, Yellow=Sunshine, Red=Rosie, Pink=Susie, Blue=Sky, Lilac=Lilly.

All together 10 large teddies and 100 pins donated by MCF will have been delivered to hospital throughout Devon.