Published on: 7 May 2019
In honour of the arrival of the new Royal baby, Build-A-Bear has donated celebratory bears to Sunderland Royal Hospital’s maternity unit for all newborns delivered on the same day.
The commemorative teddy bears were gifted to families of new babies arriving on Monday 6 May – the same day as the youngest Royal. The bears include a special celebratory tag as well as a birth certificate marking their noble nature and ‘birth’ alongside their new owners.
New mam Sapphire Stuart who delivered baby Bella at 4.55am yesterday morning said: “Initially, I had no idea that Bella was born on the same day as the Royal baby. What are the chances? My family are now calling her the princess baby. It was lovely to receive the bear. It is her very first teddy.”
1,000 bears have been gifted to royal hospitals across the country who were highly commended for their maternity facilities. The donation is part of Build-A-Bear’s everyday celebration of birthdays and in honour of the Duke and Duchess’ new baby. The bears have been presented to newborn babies at Sunderland Royal. Babies at South Tyneside’s maternity unit will receive the gifts thanks to the recent merger of the two Trusts into South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust. The remaining bears will be handed out to babies born in the next few days to continue to celebrations.
Sheila Ford, Head of Maternity at Sunderland Royal Hospital, said: “We are all happy to hear about the safe arrival of the new Royal baby. This is a very special time for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and also for the thousands of other new parents across the country who are also welcoming new babies into their families.
“We are absolutely delighted to have been chosen to be part of the celebrations by Build-A-Bear and to receive these beautiful commemorative bears. Our families were really pleased with this wonderful gift. It is a lovely keepsake for their child growing up and a reminder that they share a birthday with one of the Royals."
Roger Parry, senior managing director for Build-A-Bear Workshop in Europe, added: “We love birthdays at Build-A-Bear, and we know the anticipation of a royal baby causes a wave of excitement worldwide.
“We wanted to share the excitement with parents of new babies all over the UK by giving them special bear hugs to commemorate such a special day.”
