I’d like to introduce myself by saying, I am a Penny Pit Survivor. I started life in the children’s play area downstairs. I was quite happy really. I am so tiny, not much more than two inches tall, so was perfect for small chubby hands to play with. I lived in the playhouse. I played the part of baby bear in most productions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I was upset when naughty Goldilocks broke my chair, ate my porridge and slept in my bed. I jumped out of the window with my Mum and Dad to chase Goldilocks but she could run quicker. Not to mention, in general, I have been played with quite robustly, which was great fun, I’m made to be strong. I’ve chunky arms and legs, it was a good life. Until a woman from upstairs called Angie got her hands on me. I don’t know how it happened but I recall not seeing any children for a few weeks. Word on the block said children wouldn’t be coming back. It was a nightmare for all of us. Most of us thought we would end up in a charity shop. Sometimes that was ok as you could still go to a nice home but it was risky. We tried to look on the bright side. Teddies are made with optimism, it’s in our DNA. As I said, this woman pierced my ear with a sharp object, I don’t know what it was, sharp things weren’t allowed in the nursery. She made me cry! It was so sore! Then, to my utmost shame she stuck me on a notice board so everyone could look at me and laugh. I tried to hang my head but it couldn’t move. I had to endure the shame of it looking into people’s eyes. One day, while hanging there, a woman noticed me, said to this horrible bear torturer, “why have you got this poor bear hanging around like this, that’s cruel.” I thought she would rescue me there and then but she came back a week later. I was so happy! I’m in her house right now. I’m not alone, I have adopted brothers and sisters from a world where bears are taken care of and are considered very precious. These bears too have been pierced on their ears. However, they had the operation done under something they call anaesthetic, they didn’t feel a thing, and, they had aftercare in a bear hospital ward while they recovered. Now, they have little scarves hanging from their ears and are very happy. They were all really shocked to hear my story and welcomed me with their very long arms. It’s lovely here, I think this will be where I spend my retirement. Ok, it’s an easy life, I lie around a lot during the day, but the night life is fantastic. We have picnics, singsongs, storytelling, life is good.