Volunteers are in overdrive across NSW knitting trauma teddies for children who have experienced trauma during this year's devastating bushfire season.
The Red Cross trauma teddy program has distributed over a million teddy bears since 1990, and for the volunteers at the Blue Mountains branch, it's a project close to home.
"Everyone here has experienced bushfires, " Springwood trauma teddies co-ordinator Allison Primmer said.
"They may not have lost their homes, but we've all been very very close to bushfires since we've lived here. We know how those people are feeling, and it wrenches at us that they are suffering like that. So it is gratifying, even though they're just a little knitted teddy bear - it's something and people love them."
In 2018, more than 600 volunteer knitters created over 50,000 trauma teddies for children across the country, and in this current bushfire season, scores have already been distributed to evacuation centres.
"They clutched them and hung onto them and gave them names, and talked to them," said Liz Dowd, a Red Cross emergency worker who spent time at relief centres servicing devastated areas of the NSW South Coast.
"If they were a bit reluctant, we'd say, this teddy needs to be looked after, will you look after it for us, please? And give it a name, and take it home and look after it. And they seemed to accept that very well."
Ms Dowd said that the evacuation centre in Narooma was populated by few youngsters, but many elderly people had been evacuated from nearby aged care facilities.
"One lady was quite distressed, and we gave her a large pink teddy we had down there, and she hung onto that, and she relaxed, and she was a lot calmer afterwards."
For some of the knitters, the benefit goes both ways.
Ms Primmer says she was looking for something to do after retiring from a career in childcare.
"I entered this branch, and it was just like walking into a great big warm hug. Everyone was so friendly. Every time there's a need for more yarn, more filling, more knitters, the group just comes together. It's all supplied, and help is always on hand."
