History

The Origins of the Appeal and the Compulsive Idea
The Appeal originated after an allergic reaction suddenly caused the swelling and blocking of the windpipe of the wife of an Essex Freemason. Her life was saved by the rapid action of the medical staff at an A&E unit, who were able to resuscitate and stabilise her. They are both eternally grateful for the swift and caring attention that she received, but found the experience the most frightening of their lives and speculated on the distress that children must face when visiting A&E units.
He asked members of his Lodge and other Local Freemasons to help to do something useful as a thank you to the A&E unit and its staff. From that point the compulsive idea of “Teddies for Loving Care” was born.

The Appeal in Essex

The Appeal is now well established in the Province of Essex. Fundraising amongst Essex Freemasons and Lodges was started in March 2001, and A&E units have been using the TLC Teddies since September 2001.

In that time more than 130,000 severely distressed children at Essex A&E units have benefited from a TLC Teddy. That’s around 130,000 smiling faces and a potential 1,000,000+ parents, grandparents, siblings and friends of the families who have come into contact with Freemasonry in this particular way.

This obviously did not happen overnight! A lot of research and planning was done before the Appeal was launched.

What was clear from the outset was the enthusiasm of Essex Freemasons. Members of the Craft wanted to help. A committee of volunteers was set up under the guidance of W.Bro Brian Procter, then the Assistant Provincial Grand Master of the Province of Essex. We were also honoured that W.Bro. Col. Sir Neil Thorne, OBE. TD.DL, then the, Provincial Grand Master for the Province of Essex agreed to become the Patron of the Appeal.

The success of the Appeal is rightly attributed to them all.

Establishing the Appeal and it’s Development

In order to establish the Appeal, a large amount of research and planning was required. The fact that the Appeal has been so successful in all respects reflects the time spent in researching and planning, the quality of that work, and the enthusiasm for the appeal by Freemasons.
The full extent of that research and planning would itself fill a large document. Most of it is history now, but as the Appeal is extended to other Provinces, our experience can be used to ensure that the Appeal continues to be a success.
For the sake of completeness, summarised below are the major considerations involved and how we have developed these concepts as the Appeal has become established.
Was there a need?
How many Teddies are needed?
What Teddies to use?
How to source the Teddies?
Which A&Es to supply?
How to distribute to A&Es?
How to organise the Appeal – and what form should it take?
Fundraising
How to keep up the impetus of interest for Freemasons?