Teddy bear picnic a fabulous success

The sun shone on a perfect spring day for a teddy bear picnic to celebrate 35 years of Australian Red Cross trauma teddies. The event held in the Beechworth Town Hall Gardens on Saturday marked a special time for a local Beechworthian. Margaret Harms with her grandchildren seven-year-old Xavier and five-year-old Willow headed to the picnic hosted by the volunteer-based humanity organisation’s Melbourne office. The local Red Cross branch helped the city team on the day with around 100 people drawn to the family fun-filled family event. Margaret also a Beechworth Red Cross branch volunteer knows all about the special bears. “I brought the children down to this today because I stuff teddy bears for the knitters at home,” she said. “When received my grandchildren help me stuff them too.” The volunteer said besides young people and family’s given the bears, older people who have experienced trauma or in an ambulance ask for them as well. “They are really important little comfort bears,” she said. Visiting family at the weekend nine-year-old Meika Yue-Lamb with her seven-year-old sister Harper from Melbourne gave a helping hand to stuff teddies for the Red Cross at the picnic. “They're comforting for people who are not well and it's good to help,” Mieka said. Harper added teddies gave people in hospital something to cuddle. Their mum Rachel with a background in education said the Australian Red Cross plays a vital role supporting people in challenging situations. Community and Business Operations manager for Victoria and Tasmania, Nathan Brown from the Melbourne Australian Red Cross office, said the Beechworth community had “turned it on’’. “We had sunshine, families and generosity of supporters Beechworth Bakery and the Beechworth Honey Shop,” he said. “Kids, parents and grandparents had a great time, and we got a really important message out around emergency preparedness.” “We’d also like to thank Indigo Shire for the generous grant of a $3000 to help make this event possible. “It’s a wonderful partnership of community coming together.” Beechworth Red Cross branch chair Julia Smith said visitors for the two-hour event starting at 1pm had been constant. “Big Ted was popular with the kids too,” she said. The community tucked in to a free sausage sizzle, kids had fun with a heap of activities including having their faces painted. Trauma teddies knitted by volunteers since 1990 have brought solace to thousands of children facing crises around the nation as well as overseas. The birthday is being marked with celebrations around Australia throughout November. The Australian Red Cross office in Melbourne hosted the event for the community with help from local Beechworth branch volunteers.

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