Grrr-eat donation of cuddly bears claws up cash at Lichfield auction for Acorns Children’s Hospice

Grrr-eat donation of cuddly bears claws up cash at Lichfield auction for Acorns Children’s Hospice

AN un-bear-lievable donation of nearly 40 rare teddy bears has raised more than £1,600 for Acorns Children’s Hospice after going under the hammer at auction.

The cuddly collection of Charlie Bears was sold after a flurry of bids and the money raised be used for the care of children with life limiting and life threatening conditions and support for their families.

The furry friends, which are made in the UK and collected by avid fans across the world, were sold by Lichfield-based Richard Winterton Auctioneers with some individual bears selling over estimate and fetching up to £70 each.

Vicki Behan, supporter services manager for Acorns, said: “This was a grrr-eat collection of unique and loveable teddy bears which were put up for auction by a generous local collector to help raise funds for our lifeline care of local children and their families.

“We are very grateful to her and to Richard Winterton Auctioneers for generating as much money as possible for this highly sought-after cute collection.

“We hope the bears have gone to their fur-ever homes and to kind new owners whose interest means we can continue to be there for children and families when they need us the most.”

Charlie Bear panda ‘Monium’ and ‘Alicia’, both pictured above, were two of the stars in the collection, along with the exclusively designed ‘Squizzle’ and ‘Smidgen’. Richard Winterton Auctioneers waived all fees for the sale.

The bears’ former owner, who did not wish to be named, said she had collected the teddies over several years and added that each bear was special in its own way, and she was ‘very pleased’ with the amount raised for the charity.

Auctioneer Richard Winterton said: “Acorns provides vital support for hundreds of families across the West Midlands and when the seller said they wanted to auction the collection of bears for such an important cause, we were delighted to help.

“There was lots of interest from bidders on the day and hammer prices totalled a fantastic £1,685.”

Acorns Children’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care for babies, children and young people with life limiting and life threatening conditions, and support for their families.

In the past year, the charity has cared for more than 750 children across the West Midlands, and supported almost 1,000 families, including those who are bereaved.

This care and support is provided from Acorns three hospices, based in Birmingham, Walsall and Worcester, and in the community.

Acorns needs around £30,000 each day to provide its children’s hospice care, with two thirds of that amount coming from generous donations and fundraising by the local community.

Click here to find out how you can help Acorns be stronger together for local children and families.