A bear hunt across the north-east has helped to support vulnerable children in Scotland and Zambia.
A total of 508 families took part in a special event to mark the 30th anniversary since the publication of a children’s classic, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
The initiative, which was hailed by councillors “as a really innovative way of marking the anniversary of this well-known children’s book” has also helped improve the lives of children in Scotland and Zambia.
Some of the bears have already been committed to the Scottish charity Children 1st and to the Waterberry Community in Zambia, which helps improve the educational opportunities in nearby rural villages.
A spokesman for Live Life Aberdeenshire said: “We hope these bears will give great comfort to children who need a hug from a little friend after going through an event that no child should have to experience.”
The libraries involved have also donated some of the knitted animals to Police Scotland as trauma teddies for when children find themselves in traumatic or upsetting circumstances.
Following the success of this year’s bear extravaganza, the spokesman added: “This will hopefully be an annual event run by libraries in communities across Aberdeenshire, though it may not be knitted bears which feature but something else – watch this space.”
Youngsters Gregor and Cameron from Inverurie were the lucky winners of the keenly-contested bear hunt and the pair will sort through the bears and help allocate them to their new homes at Inverurie Library on Monday at 10.30am.
Library Knit and Natter groups made over 200 knitted bears which were hidden across local communities where there is a Live Life Aberdeenshire library in July.
Families picked up an application form from their local library before setting out to try and find six of the hidden bears in a friendly outdoor environment.
Once the animals had been discovered and their locations had been recorded on the entry form, families handed the cards back to library staff.
