Ukraine: Mother's poem sent with teddy bears to warzone children

A woman has written a poem that has been translated into Ukrainian and sent with one thousand teddy bears to children fleeing the war zone.

Mother-of-three Abigail Horne said she was moved to write War Teddies after seeing images of evacuated children holding on to their toys.

Her poem was added to donated bears when it was shared on social media and spotted by someone who organises distribution of soft toys to Ukraine.

The first shipment went last weekend.

Mrs Horne, 35, from Stoke-on-Trent, said her verse was written "in the words of" children's bears, and contained the line: "If you hear loud voices or a bang, just remember, I've got your hand."

She said when she watched the news and saw a youngster in Ukraine holding "a bear or soft toy, my heart ached knowing which bears my own children would choose, should we ever have to flee our homes".

The poem was noticed by Catherine Heaton, of Northumberland, who runs the Bears for Ukraine Facebook group.

It was then that Ms Heaton had the idea of attaching the poem to bears handed out at centres in border areas, Mrs Horne said - a move that left her "overwhelmed with emotion".

Mrs Horne explained: "Every little person crossing a border, sleeping in an underground shelter or trying to survive this war, is holding and hugging their special teddies... So, I wrote a poem for them, in the words of their bears."

The poem also includes the line: "We're going on an adventure today, but for how long, no one can say."

Mrs Horne said that to know her words "may give even a slight bit of comfort to these children and their mothers is more than my mind can comprehend".

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