Inspiring Kindness: TLC Essex and Get Started Art unite for children in crisis

Two powerful Essex Freemasons charities unite with a single purpose to help children in crisis

In a heartwarming display of compassion and creativity, two remarkable initiatives supported by Essex Freemasons have come together with a shared mission: to bring comfort, calm, and colour to those who need it most.

Teddies for Loving Care Essex (TLC Essex) and Get Started Art have joined forces to create a brand-new Activity Book designed to raise essential funds and lift young spirits in the process. Packed with word searches, puzzles, children’s crosswords, and beautifully illustrated colouring pages, each book comes complete with its own set of crayons and will soon be available to purchase at fundraising events across the Province.

This collaboration represents more than just a creative product, it’s a symbol of how Essex Freemasons are making a tangible difference in hospitals, care homes, and communities.

TLC Essex provides unique cuddly teddy bears to Children’s Accident & Emergency departments, offering comfort to children facing distressing or frightening situations. At the same time, Get Started Art contributes activity sheets to outpatient clinics and waiting rooms and donates Art Therapy books and Arts and Crafts supplies to paediatric and dementia wards, making those long, anxious moments a little bit brighter.

Together, they are showing what can happen when kindness and imagination come together.

David Barton, Founder of Get Started Art, expressed his pride in the collaboration:

"We are absolutely delighted to have been able to design and produce this book for such an amazing cause. TLC is an incredible initiative and should be seen as inspirational to anyone who wants to go that extra mile to help people in need and in times of stress."

Paul Reeves, Chairman of TLC Essex, shared the sentiment:

"It’s been fantastic to work with Get Started Art. The success and escalation of this new project is testament to the fact that Essex Freemasons are selflessly helping so many people, young and old, in hospitals, schools, care homes, and community groups across Essex and beyond."

The scale and reach of both initiatives are truly remarkable. Teddies for Loving Care now operates in every Masonic Province across England, Wales and Ireland and is active in some Scottish Provinces as well as Cyprus, Fiji, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Malta, New Zealand and Spain, while Get Started Art, founded just two years ago, has already expanded into 14 Provinces in England and Scotland. To date, it has printed over 1.5 million colouring and activity pages, with its Art Therapy books reaching as far as war-torn Ukraine and supporting humanitarian projects in Africa.

While each charity brings something unique to the table, they share a common foundation: the unwavering support and generosity of the Masonic community.

This collaboration stands as a powerful reminder that small acts, a teddy bear, a colouring page, a word search, can have a profound impact. And, thanks to the continued support of Essex Freemasons, that impact is being felt not only in local hospitals but across the world.

Photos

Top (L–R): Paul Reeves, David Barton, Chris Bushell (Get Started Art director)

Middle: The comfort and love of a teddy bear

Bottom: Get Started Art books for the young and the elderly