Fundraising success as school sells almost 100 teddy bears in two days in aid of Hartlepool hospice

Youngsters at West View Primary School, in Davison Drive, have come together for a good cause after their school became charity partners with Alice House Hospice.

The school has been selling rainbow coloured teddy bears provided by the hospice since the start of last week.

Nearly 100 were sold in just two days to raise £192 for the hospice.

The next batch of bears also sold out in days with a total of £560.14 raised for the hospice in a week.

Headteacher Lauren Furness said: "We’ve had to ask for some more to be ordered, because they’ve been really popular with the children.

"What they’re coming back to say is that they want the full rainbow, because they’re thinking of a grandparent or a relative that might have been cared for at the hospice.”

She continued: "We are really pleased, because it’s a local charity. It’s such good work that they do so we want to make sure we continue to support them.

"It’s absolutely brilliant. It’s really nice to see that the bears have been so popular.”

Janice Forbes, community fundraiser at Alice House Hospice and hospice mascot Alice Mouse visited the school to deliver a new batch of 100 teddy bears.

Janice said it’s been “amazing” to see the amount of support and partner up with the school.

She said: “It’s amazing. It’s lovely because they’re neighbours to the hospice. The school is just around the corner from us. It’s great to have a charity partnership with them.

"I would like to thank everyone at the school, the staff, the pupils. I would like to thank them so much.”

Miss Furness added: "We’re really proud to be charity partners with them and look forward to working with them in the future to be able to raise awareness of what they do but also to raise valuable finds for them as well.”

West View Primary’s clothing bank recently became the first to raise more than £1,000 in a recycling scheme.

The school has been accepting donations of any unwanted clothing, shoes and textiles into a container provided by Fundraise and Recycle since late June 2021.

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