Build a bear to help our pets

The Blue Cross has teamed up with the Build-A-Bear organisation to raise money for Blue Cross pets. Build-A-Bear turns teddy bears (and some doggie bears) into funds for a good cause through their stores across the world.

Each May, on Stuffed with Hugs™ day, guests are invited to visit any Build-A-Bear Workshop store in the world and make a bear for free that is donated by Build-A-Bear Workshop to a worthy cause.  Since Stuffed with Hugs began in 2001, over 275,000 teddy bears have been donated to charities worldwide.

Stuffed with hugs...

Vanessa Rossiter, corporate development fundraiser for The Blue Cross visited the Build-A-Bear store at Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull in May to launch the Stuffed with Hugs event. Children from Ruckleigh Primary School visited the store and stuffed puppy teddies to help raise money for animals in Blue Cross care.

Vanessa said: "For the last three weeks we have been delighted to receive over 1,400 doggie bears from Build-A-Bear Workshops all over the UK. Children have very kindly donated these bears to The Blue Cross and we will be selling them in our shops and in true Blue Cross style many have been rehomed to our adoption centres as future raffle prizes. All of these bears will find loving new homes and raise thousands of pounds to support homeless pets in our care."

Visit the Build-A-Bear website

11 June 2008