Walsall couple spread reay of sunshine with cuddly bear
A couple from Walsall have been spreading a ray of sunshine to their community with the help of a cuddly bear.
Emma Duffield, 45, and her husband Simon, 47, from Brownhills have been dressing up Ray Bear and displaying him in their front garden each day.
Emma said: "Ray Bear was created for both children and adults alike to try and lighten the mood in these unprecedented times.I thought that the children might enjoy coming to see what activity he would be doing everyday-give them a little something to focus on.
"The children on the estate have also been invited to bring their own bears and sit them next to Ray,when we had a teddy bears picnic.
"Being a Teaching Assistant I knew how hard it would be for small children to understand totally what was happening and also tricky for parents of these children too, keeping them entertained and occupied."
Since lockdown, Ray Bear has got up to all sorts of things, from gardening, a barbecue, washing the cars and a bear-dressing salon.
The idea came from Emma, but husband Simon has taken charge of costumes and displays and Emma's son Harry Slaymaker, 17, has even set up a Facebook and Instagram account for Ray Bear for families to keep up with his antics.
Emma added: "The reaction has been phenomenal. He has had fan mail from people we don't even know from as far south as Devon and as far North as Scotland.
"We have also been told that some is on its way from New Zealand and Australia.
"The letters and cards contain some wonderful messages about how they look forward to seeing what Ray is up to each day and how he has kept them going during the present situation. One of the ladies is 83!"
