Pupils given teddy treat for making lockdown bear-able

Alittle cuddle in a cute T-shirt is being given to every youngster at an Angus primary school as a pat on the back for bearing up to the challenges of the pandemic.

All 280 children in the nursery and primary classes at Andover in Brechin are being gifted a personalised ‘memory bear’ as a reminder of how great they were during the tough times of lockdown.

The Andover handover is a £3,500 gesture from the school’s thriving parent group.

It wanted to do something for the entire roll now they are back in the classroom with their pals.

Parent group chairwoman Gemma Keith said: “We had some money sitting in the bank and just felt that since the kids had had such a miserable year we wanted to give them a little treat.

“We thought about a trip, but that still couldn’t go ahead under the circumstances.

“And we felt that if we let it go on too long then we’d miss the chance of doing something nice for them.

“That’s when the idea of the memory bears came up.

“So we ordered up a teddy for every child in the nursery and the 13 different classes.”

The bears have each pupil’s name on them, with the parent group logo on the back.

An accompanying note includes the message: “This is a constant memory for you all to keep until you are grown up and you can remember how clever and great you were at home schooling (twice!).

Gemma added: “For some of the nursery children and younger pupils it might become a favourite cuddly toy.

“But for others it’ll be tucked away in a cupboard or put up in the attic.

“Then one day the bear might be brought out and the memories of school days will come flooding back.

“We also wanted to keep the money locally, so G&A Trading in Brechin got the bears for us and we’re really pleased with them.

“We do a lot of fundraising and normally take in £2,500 from our Christmas fair alone.

“Obviously we’ve missed out on that but we have managed to run other successful fundraisers during lockdown.

“We just felt it was a nice thing to spend some money on a treat for the children.”

Andover deputy head teacher Jane Waddell said: “It’s a nice way to say thank you to all the children – they have been amazing all the way through.

“We’ve such a good team at Andover. Staff work really hard to keep the nurturing ethos and, if anything, the pandemic has made the relationships even stronger.

“We are also so lucky to have such a great parent group. We work so closely together and that makes a big difference.”

“It’s a nice way to say thank you to all the children – they have been amazing all the way through

PAT ON THE BACK: Some of the P7 pupils with their own memory bear, front from left, Holleigh Dickie, Alysha White and Harry Duncan and back, Sahara Halfpenny, Dalin Keith and Lucas Burns, from Andover Primary School in Brechin. Pictures by Kim Cessford.