Trauma Teddies take a bow on BBC’s Crimewatch Live

Susanna with Crimewatch Live presenters Steph McGovern and Rav Wilding

Our PA Susanna Thorpe appeared on BBC Crimewatch Live, talking about our work, particularly our trauma teddies.

She told presenters Steph McGovern and Rav Wilding about how the teddies, knitted by volunteers, are given to children who have experienced trauma as a result of a crime or an accident.

“The importance is that they give a bit of relief,” she said. “We have to thank Wiltshire Police volunteer, Hazel, who for over a year now has been hand knitting these wonderful trauma teddies and they are very colourful, as you can see.”

She said the teddies are kept on the Bobby Van and in police traffic cars. ”They act as morale boosters, but also the fact that they have been in officers’ cars when they've been dealing with a road traffic collision or a domestic violence case, it brings for a child a bit of security,” said Susanna.

She spoke about a recent call by one of our Bobby Van operators, where a teddy became invaluable. “It was a domestic violence case and she had a three-year-old little girl who was a bit scared of police officers,” she said. “Our fantastic operator went in, managed to converse with her. and she helped him round the house while he changed the locks.

“He gave her one of these teddies and we found out subsequently that she’s named her teddy after him. For such a dark place that they were in, I think for her little girl to suddenly have a ray of sunshine and felt safe and secure, that meant an awful lot to her.”

In the segment below, Susanne mentions our knitting pattern to knit your own teddy. You can find it here.

Susanna Thorpe with with Crimewatch Live presenters Steph McGovern and Rav Wilding, talking about Trauma Teddies.