Discarded teddy bears donated to worthy causes

The manager of an Evans Easyspace centre in Blackpool came in for quite a surprise when she unlocked an abandoned storage facility and discovered over a thousand teddy bears.

The cuddly lodgers had been left at the Evans site on the Sycamore Trading Estate which provides office space, warehouse and storage facilities. As well as the bears, hundreds of teddy jumpers and teddy bear themed gift cards and envelopes were found.

Since their rescue, the teddies have all found new homes. As well as being handed out to local children, they have also featured in gift bags at charity balls, used as raffle prizes, on tombola stalls and in auctions. One teddy jumper was even sold in a charity shop to keep a customer’s pet Chihuahua warm!

Benefactors include charities the Blackpool Tiggers, A Soldiers Journey, Aiming Higher and The Swallows. It is estimated that the furry donations have raised thousands for local good causes.

Centre manager Lindsay Clarke said: “I discovered the bears when I investigated the abandoned storage facilities. I couldn’t believe it when I found what was inside.

“It’s been really lovely to be able to give the bears good homes and know that we’ve raised a lot of money for so many worthy organisations.” The teddy bears have now all been donated to charity however there are still hundreds of teddy jumpers in various colours left at the centre. Anyone that has a use for them should contact 01253 346475.