Knitting Communities Help To Support Victims in Cumbria
Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall, was presented with the latest delivery of Bobby Bears from Hannah Roberts of Kendal on Monday 23rd September, following a call to action on social media to the knitting community this summer to create little Bobby Bears. Cumbria police officers use the trauma teddies to comfort children in upsetting circumstances for example, when dealing with the aftermath of a road traffic collision.
The police service holds special significance in Hannah’s family. Her grandfather John served in the Police and his father, an Officer in Scotland Yard, was awarded the Bravery Medal during the Blitz. Her grandfather experienced first-hand the trauma of responding to roadside collisions, with victims similar in age to his own children. Hannah explained how officers use the Bobby Bears with distressed children at roadside traffic accidents to her grandmother, who immediately started to create some teddies.
Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall, comments: “I would like to thank Hannah and the knitting community for their great response in creating so many trauma teddies and also for raising awareness of the horrendous impact dangerous driving can have.
“The negative impact on victims and their wider families at road traffic accidents is incredibly distressing. Our officers regularly attend incidents where children are going through a very difficult and traumatic time.
“They use the bears to build relationships with young people and something like a teddy bear can be really useful in distracting them from what is going on around them.
“We have had a huge response to our summer call to action and in the last few weeks we have taken large numbers of deliveries from the knitting community in Somerset, Hertfordshire, Essex and Cumbria.
“I urge everyone to consider what they can do to help keep people safe on our roads. It is a sad fact that most accidents are caused by our own unsafe behaviours, such as driving at inappropriate speeds, not wearing seatbelts, driving while drunk or on drugs, or by allowing ourselves to be distracted through using mobile phones and other devices while driving.
“Collisions that result in fatalities or people being seriously injured can impact whole communities. The best advice for motorists is to simply drive safely and responsibly in accordance with the law.”
Inspector Laura Boyd said: “We’re extremely grateful for the response we’ve had from the public. The Bobby Buddies have been extremely helpful and comforting for children who our officers encounter in upsetting circumstances.
“They have been used by officers around the county for a variety of response incidents, from serious road traffic collisions to missing person enquiries.”
Hannah Roberts comments: “When I heard about the Bobby Bears on Facebook I knew I wanted to help. I was very close to my grandad who served in the police, as well as a long history of family members serving in the forces.
“I talked to my Nanny who is a very talented knitter and we both thought it would make my granddad proud if we helped with such an important cause, so she made these lovely bears. We both hope that they can bring people comfort in distressing times.”
For information on the Bobby Buddies knitting pattern, see the following link:
www.cumbria.police.uk/News/News-Media/2018/August/bobby-buddies-knitting-pattern-edit.pdf
