More than a dozen disabled north-east children who have undergone complex surgeries have been given specially-made teddy bears to help them feel less lonely.
A Bear Named Buttony is a project which creates cuddly toys with stomas on their abdomens just like their young owners.
The small openings, which are made for medical reasons, can often be traumatic for very young children.
But by giving them furry friends who have the same thing, the charity – set up by friends from Ballater – hopes to help them feel less different and better understand what is happening to them.
It recently gave 17 of the bears to the Aberdeen-based charity Charlie House, which supports seriously disabled youngsters across the north-east of Scotland.
Each little bear was sponsored by the Garioch Lions group.
Jenny Gow, project director of A Bear Named Buttony, said: “The idea is to give them a friend that’s just like them.
“It’s a bit isolating for many children who have had these kind of conditions and have stomas, so these toys really help to make them feel less alone and explain what’s happening to them.
“We started off doing purely stomas, but we also make bears for all kinds of conditions – we’ve just recently started to make bears for children that have had tracheotomies.
“We’re very proud to have been able to support Charlie House.”
The project has recently sent out its 900th bear.
Tracy Johnstone, chairwoman of Charlie House, said:
“We’re very grateful to the Garioch Lions for sponsoring our bears.
“One of our children had never, ever liked teddy bears or cuddly toys, but her mum was amazed that she just took to her Buttony bear instantly.
“The children really connect with the bears because their buttons are just like their own openings into their stomachs.
“It’s also a great way to raise awareness of how many people have stomas, it’s a lot more common than people realise.
“So many of our children have stomas, and to give them something they can actually connect with rather than just another teddy is terrific.”