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Over the last five years ten thousand Lincolnshire children have been comforted at the most traumatic times in their young lives thanks to the efforts of one Lincolnshire Freemason.
He’s Graham Cadel, Lincolnshire’s champion of the Freemason-funded Teddies for Loving Scheme charity, which has one objective – to give children faced with daunting hospital visits a crumb of comfort by giving them a teddy bear.
When Graham, from Lincoln, took on the role in 2021 teddies were supplied to just one hospital. Through his efforts they are now in Lincoln A & E, Lincoln Urgent Treatment Centre, an Operating Theatre recovery room at Lincoln County Hospital, and hospitals in Boston, Skegness, Louth, Grantham, and Scunthorpe. They also travel with the LIVES First Responders and fly with the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance. The John Coupland Hospital in Gainsborough, The Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, and the Citizens Advice Bureau in Boston will hopefully join this year.
Graham makes sure there’s money to buy the bears by encouraging Freemasons’ Lodges to make donations and by his untiring salesmanship of enamel teddy bear lapel pins.
Says Graham: “It’s hard to underestimate the positive impact of these little bears can have not only on the children themselves, but also their families and the hospital staff who give them. For the children they’re a simply source of comfort, and often become favourite toys. For families, there’s comfort in knowing that complete strangers – the Freemasons – understand the difficulties they face at that moment in their lives, and want to help. And to the hospital staff they can make it simpler to give treatment to a potentially-distressed child. Our bears have been stitched, scanned, injected, and bandaged by staff to remove some of the fear children may face.
“The bears all mean so much to their new owners. In on instance a girl suffering severe spinal injuries was in hospital for weeks. When she was discharged all she took away was her Teddies for Loving Care bear.”
Graham uses the donations to buy more bears so hospitals always have a stock to call on when necessary. When stocks run low Graham relies on other Freemasons to take more. Says Graham: “It’s simple system. My fellow Freemasons are always ready to pop round with more deliveries when they’re necessary. They’ve taken the charity to heart, and are more than happy to help it run in Lincolnshire. I’m grateful for their support.”
In recogniti0n of his efforts Graham has been presented with The Provincial Grand Master’s Certificate of Merit in recognition of his contribution to the Masonic Province of Lincolnshire.
Since it was started in 2001 Teddies for Loving Care has given away more than four million bears to children in England and Wales. Publicity about it in Lincolnshire has started interest with Freemasons in America, who have looked at copying it there.
Graham adds: “Little things can mean a lot, especially when they’re little bears. You can’t put a price on something like that.”
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