Rainbow Bears raise £885 for Farleigh Hospice

Two extraordinary families have come together to create Rainbow Bears, also known as Bears in Scrubs, raising a staggering £885 for Farleigh Hospice

Sue Gowers from Maldon and Lesley Grover from Broomfield Chelmsford were the creatives behind the project, knitting and crocheting the bears. Lesley’s son Rob, a manager at the Nightingale Hospital in London, came up with the initiative and set about organising the logistics from launching the Justgiving page to posting out the bears to their new homes.

Both families have a strong connection to the hospice. Lesley’s husband John was cared for by Farleigh, and Sue was a nurse on the Inpatient Unit at the old Farleigh site. Sue’s husband Trevor was also cared for by Farleigh and was an instrumental figure in helping to set up the new hospice on the Broomfield site. To celebrate his achievements, Trevor was invited to lay the first brick of Farleigh’s new home.

Sue talked about her husband and said: “Trevor was diagnosed with a brain tumour, and Farleigh was there to help care and support us all. I think helping to set up the new Farleigh and being part of the development of the new building helped him live longer."

Lesley and Sue have continued their connection with Farleigh and are part of the Chelmsford Farleigh Craft Group. During the lockdown, the friends have kept in touch and are looking forward to meeting up in the future.

For more information on Bears in Scrubs please visit: http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lesleyandsue