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Yes, anytime. Just get in touch and we'll sort it straight away.

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Towards granting wishes and the ongoing support that follows — in hospitals and in the community. We receive no government funding.

If you're a UK taxpayer, we can claim an extra 25% from the government at no cost to you. Just tick the box on the form.

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Granting magical wishes since 2003 · A UK children's charity · No government funding

Skip to choosing your bear

Open all year · ... bears on the wall so far

You never forget your first best friend.

Most of us still remember the name. The missing ear. The way they remind you of home.

Remember yours. Add your bear any time. Add your bear and your memory to the Teddy Bear Hall of Fame, then give a seriously ill child in hospital a first best friend of their own.

Choose your bear

Don’t want to add your bear, but do want to help give 250 seriously ill children a teddy of their own? Make a donation now.

£10 could give a seriously ill child a teddy of their own

Why teddy bears

Time spent in hospital can be tough for everyone, but it can feel especially scary and lonely for children. At 3am in a hospital ward, when everything feels unfamiliar, a teddy can be the one thing that’s completely theirs. Something to hold. Something familiar. A little bit of comfort when they need it most. We believe in the power of play and positive distraction to help create precious memories and combat isolation. Even something as simple as a teddy bear can help.

Your bear, so far

The Heirloom

Posh mohair, jointed arms, kept a bit too nicely.

Somewhere between memory and imagination, that's usually where teddies live.

Step one

Which one was yours?

Ten bears, and one of them is close enough. Pick the one your hands remember.

Step two

Now make them yours.

Fur colour, and whatever they always wore.

Fur colour

Finishing touch

Step three

Tell us about them.

A line or two is plenty. The small details are always the best ones.

Your first name

We'd love to know who to credit.

Your teddy's name

Every bear had a name. What was theirs?

Your memory Where they came from, what they survived, why they mattered.

0/240

Pop in a memory, it's the whole point of the Hall of Fame.

Email address So we can show you where your bear hangs, and tell you when a child gets theirs.

That email doesn't look quite right, mind checking it?

Got a photo of them? (optional)

Choose a photo

Stays on your device, nothing is uploaded.

Your bear is on the wall. Somewhere tonight a child has no bear. Would you give £10 to change that?

By sharing your email, you're agreeing to hear from Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity about our fundraising, campaigns and other ways to support seriously ill children. You can stop hearing from us any time, and we never sell or swap your details.

The wall

The Teddy Bear Hall of Fame

On a children's ward, the get-well cards go up on a string above the bed. This one is strung with teddies. Every tag is somebody's first best friend, hung up where they can do some good.

0 bears in the Hall of Fame

Tap a tag to read the memory. Tap again to turn it back.

One family's story

Owen and Duck Duck Goose

“Then the hospital had a Rays of Sunshine delivery. He absolutely loved his new teddy from the moment he made it. It wasn't just another toy someone had handed him, it was something he had created during a really difficult period.”

“Duck Duck Goose quickly became his comfort and his companion. He's gone through many teddies over his childhood, but Duck Duck Goose has been around the whole time. Owen is nine now, and he still has his teddy today, sitting in his room. It's a reminder of what he's been able to overcome.”

Sunita, Owen's mum

From about 3 months old, Owen was in and out of hospital with repeated kidney infections and fevers. Rays of Sunshine gave him something positive to associate with hospital instead of only fear and medical treatment, creating moments of fun, laughter and normality at a time his family needed them most.

And now the reason we asked

Send a bear to a bedside

Add your bear above, then help give a seriously ill child in hospital a first best friend of their own, something that is theirs, and not the hospital’s, at three o’clock in the morning.

Every month, children arrive on wards with nothing of their own. £10 gives one of them a first best friend. Every £10 given is a first best friend of their own. Thank you.

“Children who were feeling overwhelmed and anxious before their medical procedures found great comfort in creating their bears with the help of their parents. The teddies even served as soft little pillows for arms that were sore from repeated IVs.”

“One child, after surgery, was seeking comfort but felt uneasy about being hugged, worried their stitches would be disturbed. The bear, however, became the perfect cuddle companion, offering the comfort and reassurance they needed without causing any discomfort.”

Play Specialist at hospital supported by Rays of Sunshine

Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity receives no government funding. Every wish, every hospital visit and every single bear is paid for by supporters like you.