Poorly Chesterfield mum gifts teddy bears customised with her own voice to her six young children

Thanks to a kind donation to Chesterfield's Ashgate Hospicecare, Susan Clarke has been able to customise the bears for the youngsters who are aged between five and 16-years-old.

The supportive care team at the hospice, which covers the north Derbyshire area, has been working closely with Susan on the project.

Her children have received counselling as well as art therapy from the team, which is 100 per cent funded through donations.

Susan, 40, from Middlecroft, Staveley, said, “I’m absolutely over the moon to be able to give my children such a special gift.

"They’ll be able to cuddle these bears when they feel sad, and it makes me feel better to know that they’ll always be able to be comforted by my voice."

"Ashgate Hospicecare’s supportive care team have been working really closely with each of my children and have helped us to talk about what’s happening to mummy.

"They’ve also helped me to prepare memory boxes for each of them.

"We’d discussed for a while how wonderful it would be to have teddy bears that I could record a special voice message in and I’m so pleased that we’ve finally been able to do it.

"The kids love them already!”

Sharon Herriot, art therapist at Ashgate Hospicecare, said, “It is thanks to a kind donation that we’ve been able to go that extra mile for Susan and her children.

"We are supporting some of the children through group art therapy in school and the others through one to one counselling sessions.

"This support will be available as long as the children need it and offers them a safe space to think about their difficult feelings through play, art and talking.

"When people think about the hospice, they often think of the ward and the Day Hospice, but they don’t always know about the support services that are also provided and are absolutely vital to families like Susan’s.

"We’re really grateful to people in the local community who supports us, through generous donations to the hospice, which enable us to offer these vital services completely free of charge.”

If you’d like to donate to Ashgate Hospicecare, visit the hospice website or give the Fundraising Team a call on 01246 567250.