On Friday, 23rd September 2016, South Wales Teddies for Loving Care was officially launched at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales, Cardiff.
A decade on, South Wales Teddies for Loving Care (TLC) continues to go from strength to strength, providing comfort, reassurance and support to children attending hospitals across the Province at what can often be an extremely frightening and distressing time.
On Thursday, 16th July 2026, South Wales Teddies for Loving Care reached a remarkable milestone, having delivered 20,000 TLC Bears to A&E and MAU departments across the Province.
To mark this wonderful achievement, the Provincial Grand Master, R.W.Bro. Robert G. Payne, accompanied by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, V.W.Bro. D. Huw E. Mosford, the Most Excellent Grand Superintendent, E.Comp. Paul Raymond Clement, W.Bro. Peter Williams, Chairman of South Wales TLC, together with Senior Freemasons from across the Province, were invited to Bridgend Hospital by the A&E department for an insightful and heart-warming tour.
During the visit, members of the hospital team explained first-hand how the TLC Bears are used to help children through some of the most difficult moments of their hospital visit.
The bears don’t simply provide comfort. They can also be used as an effective distraction technique, with medical staff sometimes mimicking a child’s injury on the bear. This simple but incredibly effective approach can help to calm an upset child, reduce anxiety and make an otherwise frightening experience a little easier to cope with.
The hospital staff expressed their sincere gratitude to the Freemasons of South Wales for their continued generosity and for ensuring that TLC Bears are available to children attending A&E departments throughout the Province.
To celebrate reaching the incredible milestone of 20,000 bears, a special buffet was organised at Bridgend Masonic Hall, with more than 100 people in attendance.
Recognising that many of the doctors and nurses who had been involved in the initiative were unable to attend due to their work commitments, a separate buffet was also arranged at the hospital, allowing the medical teams to celebrate the achievement with us.
The afternoon at Bridgend Masonic Hall provided an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved over the past decade and, most importantly, the difference those 20,000 bears have made to children and their families.
A huge thank you goes to everyone who helped make the afternoon such a wonderful occasion, and to all the Brethren of South Wales whose generosity, hard work and continued dedication have supported South Wales Teddies for Loving Care over the years.