12,000th teddy handed over at the Royal
have to go for an X-ray or to the fracture clinic.
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust was one of the first paediatric emergency departments in the region to take the bears.
Fundraising for the project has been undertaken by the Freemasons of Durham, who have raised around £25,000 to provide the teddies.
The TLC project was launched in Durham in 2005 and to date, the Freemasons have provided more than 83,000 bears to local hospitals, children’s hospices and respite centres. Fundraising is undertaken by local Masonic Lodges and all proceeds are used to buy the TLC teddies for the benefit of sick and injured children across the North East.
Ken Bremner, chief executive of City Hospitals Sunderland and South Tyneside Foundation trusts, said: “We are extremely grateful for the support that we receive from the Durham Freemasons.
“The TLC teddies make a huge difference in comforting children when they come into our Emergency Department.
“Our team often need to diagnose and treat a child very quickly and this can be quite distressing, especially in young children.
“Having a bear to hug can ease that distress and also provides a great prop for us to show children what treatment we need to give them, taking the fear away.
“We have received great feedback from parents and staff and would like to thank everyone who has fundraised for this fantastic project.”
Duncan Maw, TLC Teddies Co-ordinator in the Province of Durham, said: “It’s a major fundraising effort for every Freemason in the Province of Durham but seeing a distressed child’s face light up makes it all worthwhile. “