All you need to know…

Leeds Knights are thrilled to confirm that on Sunday 19^th December against Basingstoke Bison we will be hosting our first ever Teddy Bear Toss event where we’ll be supporting a wonderful charity – Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF).

 

A Teddy Bear Toss has become a hockey tradition around the world where teams throw Teddy Bears onto the ice at a designated home game.

 

These toys then get donated to children’s charities at Christmas time.

 

CHSF provide life-saving medical equipment for the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit (LCHU), plus parent accommodation for families and vital ward resources.

 

Since 1988, they have awarded millions of pounds in grants to the LCHU, which is known as a world-class centre of excellence in cardiac care.

 

Sharon Milner the CEO of CHSF said:

 

“We are thrilled that Leeds Knights are supporting CHSF with their Teddy Bear Toss event.”

 

“Our charity is committed to helping the hearts and minds of patients being treated at Leeds, and these toys will make a world of difference to these poorly children and their families.”

 

“Christmas is a time of giving, and we applaud fans of Leeds Knights for thinking of local families who are spending the festive period in hospital.”

 

Leeds Knights fan Megan knows how important CHSF can be, having experienced their support since her daughter Bella’s diagnosis in late 2020.

 

Bella was diagnosed with congenital heart disease at just 4 months old when clinicians discovered several large holes in her heart.

 

11 days later she underwent emergency open heart surgery on December 23, 2020. This meant Bella was on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit for her first Christmas. Megan said:

 

 “Thanks to the amazing charity CHSF, they gifted a bag full of presents for Bella and also gave some gifts for her brother Bobby so that we had some Christmas memories even in the hardest and scariest of times.”

 

“The charity has been an incredible support to us as a family every step of our journey and are continuing to support us due to Bella still needing more surgery in the near future.”

 

“We are so happy that Leeds Knights are wanting to donate the teddies from the Teddy Toss to the CHSF as we know first-hand how much a teddy means to these children and their families – especially at Christmas.”

 

You can read the full story about Bella’s journey, and donate to support Children’s Heart Surgery Fund here.

 

CHSF are delighted to be collecting your teddies and are giving them to children on the cardiac ward, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and to siblings staying in Eckersley House – the parent accommodation next to the hospital. They have kindly extended their Christmas cut off to allow us to support them with our Teddy Bear Toss.

 

How Does It Work?

 

Fans are encouraged to bag up a teddy and bring it to the game. The teddies MUST be new and not second hand.

 

When the Knights score their first goal of the game the fans are actively encouraged to throw as many teddies on the ice as possible which will then be collected and given to charity.

 

If for any reason the Knights do not score, the teddies should then be thrown onto at the end of the game.

 

Children’s Heart Surgery Fund will then collect the teddies and pass them out to children.

 

For more information regarding Children’s Heart Surgery Fund please visit their website https://www.chsf.org.uk/