Thank you so much for taking the time to visit this BEAR FORCE JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

BEAR FORCE was established to encourage children of all ages to talk about their worries; to create safe spaces and environments where they can talk and be heard; to provide easily accessible platforms with advice in a format that children can understand, and to raise awareness of the need for adults to listen. The inception of BEAR FORCE came about as a result of the bereavement by suicide of the founder Richard Bland’s son. Richard approached the Dove Service, a bereavement charity, to offer his support in fundraising with a particular focus on using his aviation hobby, which included a toy bear (affectionately named Wing Commander Bear) who was travelling the world with its own Royal Air Force Pilot’s log book (of note: Wing Commander Bear has now flown over 2000 flying hours in 82 different military and civilian aircraft types). The then CEO of Dove Service helped Richard to turn the story of the toy bear into a book ”AB gets his Wings” with the toy bear being renamed after Richard’s son, Andrew Bland. With the introduction of other Trustees, it was agreed to redesign the book and to include additional narrative so that it could be used as part of “distraction therapy” in helping younger children identify and talk about their worries and concerns. The book was renamed 'BEAR FORCE', and the Charity was subsequently formed.

The vital part of BEAR FORCE’s work in 2024/25 is moving from setting up the charity, and media work to raise awareness, to service provision and operational delivery. To do that the Charity needs to raise funds in order to train volunteers to go into schools for us. We have seen the first elements of operational delivery with BEAR FORCE (supported by the Royal Air Force's No 6 Flying Training School and University Air Squadrons) already visiting 6 schools and spreading the message to almost 600 children about #talk, talk, talk. In other words, about good communication. Talking openly about the good, bad and ugly in life, with a trusted adult. The Charity’s updated book and training from Sarah Anderson (Child Psychotherapist with 30 years’ experience in trauma informed counselling) will ensure that the BEAR FORCE Charity is adding genuine value to children and helping schools to develop resilient future generations who are better equipped to cope with life through the good times, and the bad, in equal measure.

BEAR FORCE is kindly seeking your support to raise funds to pay for these training courses for carers, teachers and other trusted adults. The training courses have been designed to help caregivers become better at child engagement, listening, and safeguarding; Prevention being far better than cure. In the mid- to longer-term, BEAR FORCE is seeking to fund the roll out of thousands of these training courses UK-wide. Nearer term, funds raised through this fundraiser and JustGiving Page will support the initial roll-out of training courses in North Wales, with a specific focus on supporting our local community around RAF Valley and throughout Anglesey.

Thank you once again for considering (and hopefully supporting) the BEAR FORCE Children's Positive Mental Health Charity. Your sponsorship and support will enable BEAR FORCE to provide a range of Services for the public benefit to relieve the needs of children and young people who are experiencing or who may be at risk of experiencing poor mental health, their families and carers. BEAR FORCE will use funds raised in this fundraiser to provide training courses for carers, teachers and trusted adults to enable engagement in schools across Anglesey and more widely throughout North Wales and the UK.

THANK YOU!