TEDDIES of all colours and sizes will soon soothe children affected by trauma across the south-west.
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Spotlight and the Red Cross have joined together and knitted 112 trauma teddies and the brightly designed bears have been presented to Red Cross volunteers Phyllis Vaughan and Lorraine Steff.
The trauma teddies are distributed throughout the emergency and children’s wards of South West Healthcare, as well as at police stations and by ambulance crews.
Ms Vaughan said the teddies were used to comfort children in times of trauma.
“They will mostly go to South West Healthcare, the ambulance, police and Emma House,” she said.
“It’s a comfort for the children. If they are in hospital it can be a distraction and it’s their own to take home.”
Ms Vaughan said she was very grateful for the teddies and thanked the knitters who had volunteered their time to make them.
“They are gorgeous,” she said.
“There is even one with a dress and fancy socks.”
Each year Spotlight selects a charity to help and it has previously donated wool for beanies and rugs to be made.
It has also supported Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Warrnambool’s St John of God hospital.
Spotlight Crafts and Spartys department team leader Anne-Maree Cook said she was pleased with the number of teddies knitted.
“It’s been a great response,” she said.
Ms Cook said this year’s charity donation was the idea of sales assistant Lyn Powell.
An in-store knitting day only had three attendees, however other knitters took wool and made the teddies at their homes before returning the finished teddies to the shop.
rhoulihan@fairfaxmedia.com.au