A POPULAR department store has donated a mountain of cuddly toys to children in hospital for the 17th year in a row.

Boyes Department Store has maintained a family tradition by donating hundreds of teddy bears to children in hospitals across the region.

Sackfuls of the cuddly toys have already been distributed to the children’s wards at Darlington Memorial Hospital, Stockton’s University Hospital of North Tees and Middlesbrough’s James Cook University Hospital.

Nursing staff will be handing the teddies out on Christmas Day morning and Father Christmas will also be visiting the wards.

Robin Boyes, toy buyer for the firm and great grandson of the founder, William Boyes is delighted to be involved in the project.

He said: “We are a family business and we have always wanted to do thing which support the family.

“It is in keeping with the spirit of William Boyes who believed in putting something back into the community.

“It must be awful to be in hospital at Christmas, and even worse for a child. It is a time for family and children, and as a family firm we are pleased to do anything we can to help.”

All staff at the children’s wards have pulled out all the stops the make the hospitals as festive as possible, with Christmas trees, gifts from the nurses and festive decorations.

This is the 17th year of Boyes’ annual Christmas teddy donation.

The tradition began in 1999 and became an annual event due to its success in raising a smile across the children’s hospital wards.

The cash donation raised by the special supplement in The Northern Echo’s sister newspaper – The Darlington & Stockton Times – will be used to buy games and equipment for the children’s wards at all three hospitals.