Freemason, Michael Snowball took part in the Great North Run half marathon in aid of Teddies for Loving Care. Michael was one of the 57,000 runners in the 13.1 mile event which stretches from Newcastle upon Tyne to South Shields crossing over the iconic Tyne Bridge.
At 18 degrees the run was one of the hottest that Michael had done. Not only that, he was covered in teddy bears that had been stitched to his running vest! As the bears inevitably dropped off his shirt Michael handed them out to children in the crowd. Only one bear, Boris, survived the day.
It was my pleasure to run with such a well-mannered bear. At the 12 mile mark I was ready to give up but Boris practically carried me to complete the run in a respectable 2 hours 14 minutes
Michael got to know about TLC after a presentation by Durham TLC Representative, Duncan Maw, and was taken aback by the hard work put into the scheme by Freemasons and the effect the teddies have on children in distress. “It’s amazing how cuddling a bear can be so calming” said Michael.
Michael has now joined the Durham TLC team and regularly delivers teddies to the University of Durham Accident and Emergency unit.
