MILITARY wife Jo Lomax made her first Huggable Hero to comfort her friend’s little girl when her dad was about to deploy and now there are Huggable Heroes all over the world, helping to reduce separation anxiety. We spoke to some owners to find out what they thought…
Grace and Evie
Hero: Dad Adam is in South Sudan on a six-month tour with the United Nations.
Grace: “My huggable daddy makes me feel proud of what he does and makes me happy. I like to show him all of the places we go so he can be part of the adventure too. I love that we chose to have daddy holding our photo so we know whose is whose.”
Evie: “I hug him all of the time, especially when I want a cuddle before bed. Daddy is away and it’s hard, I like hugging him because it makes me feel better. We took him on the ferry to Paderborn to see our friends; we thought he would like to join in the fun.”
Erin
Hero: Dad Mark went on tour earlier this year.
Erin: “It’s cuddly and nice that I can take daddy with me.”
Mum Claire: “I’m happy to see the special connection she has with her ‘daddy cuddles’. She knows that when she is upset or scared he is always there. She’s been ill while he’s been on tour and daddy cuddles is always snuggled up with her.”
William and Johnny
Hero: Dad David is in Somalia on a six-month tour.
William: “Mummy and daddy gave them to us, it was an amazing surprise. I took the photos on the Remembrance Parade last year. Daddy comes to school with us and when we feel sad we hug him.”
Johnny: “Daddy goes on sleepovers with us. We love him.”
Mum Kate: “I considered getting myself one – when I’m cuddling the boys at bedtime I kiss daddy goodnight too!”
Jorgie
Hero: Grandad, who lives 100 miles away.
Jorgie: “Having grandad with me makes me feel safe and happy and helps until I can see him again.”
Mum Charlie: “My son finds the hardest part of Army life is leaving family behind. This never gets easier. Jorgie has an incredible bond with my dad, his grandad, and before we lived in a quarter they saw each other pretty much every day. He misses him terribly and I knew he’d be super happy to have his own grandad with him always. He sleeps with it every night and it comes with us on all our adventures. Something as simple as this is an absolute godsend.”
Kellie
Hero: Soldier husband Nick.
Kellie: “I keep him in the lounge with the bear he got me with a message so when I miss him I can hear his voice. I bought him for my brother’s wedding as he was in America at the time and couldn’t be there in person. It was going to be for our baby which we sadly lost last July. I’m now going to give it to our rainbow baby in October when he/she is due.”