A family from St Albans have raised over £5,500 for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) by creating different teddy bear scenes outside their house.
Sarah Shreeves and her daughters Katie, 22, Anna, 20 and Isobel, 15, have spent over 70 days making teddy displays on Homewood Road to bring joy and laughter to the community.
Scenes have included the collection of toys taking camping trips, attending weddings, enjoying festivities and celebrating pride with a visit from MP Daisy Cooper.
Sarah said: “It all started on Good Friday with just one ted in a deckchair, now two months on we have over 30 teddies involved in nearly 70 displays.”
The fundraiser hit national headlines in May when the bears were taken from the driveway whilst the family were out on a walk. The community quickly came together to replace the lost bears and ensure that the displays, which have brought delight to many, could continue.
Sarah continued: “I posted on Facebook that the teds had been taken and that really brought the fundraiser to people’s attention outside the local neighbourhood. People far and wide were outraged on social media and rushed to replace the bears.
“People began to come from all over to see the replacement teds, small queues formed to look at them and there have been people taking pictures to send to family and friends all over the world.”
When interest grew, Sarah decided to set up a JustGiving page to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital. The target was originally set at £600 but has now exceeded over £5,000 in donations.
She said: “We wanted to pick a charity that resonated with people, especially with what’s going on at the moment. We wanted to choose something in the hospital field that related to children, due to the nature of the displays.
“Since we have announced that the donations will be going to GOSH, many residents have commented on how much they have relied on the hospital over the years in helping their children and grandchildren and how the charity has helped so many in St Albans.”
The bears even have their own page on Instagram, with daily pictures of the scenes available to view at instagram.com/stalbansteds
To donate to the fundraiser, visitsjustgiving.com/fundraising/stalbansteds
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