An enormous pile of stuffed teddy bears was waiting for excited children at a special Christmas party in Canberra on Sunday.
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The bears were joined by a vast array of shiny, donated gifts in a "toy grotto" off the main area at Thoroughbred Park where 1200 children with serious illnesses, physical or intellectual disabilities or social disadvantage had a fun day.
Donna Bowen works all year to raise funds and organise the activities, which included face painting, jumping castles and pony rides.
"This is the 19th annual Canberra event for special needs children aged from birth to 12 years. They deserve a wonderful and unforgettable Christmas," she said.
"At this time of the year, families are doing it tough financially, so for many of them, it'll be the only Christmas they have.
"For the children who are disabled and have got some problems, they're amongst their peers, nobody is pointing at them if they have a meltdown, there's no prejudice here, they're just here to have fun and enjoy themselves.
"The parents can relax, they're with parents who understand what their needs are and what they're going through so it's a really happy place for children.
"For the children and their families, this will be a Christmas to remember."
Sparky the Clown and the Coffee Club's John Lazarou hosted this year's party, with entertainment from the Warehouse Circus and participants from The Voice, and a reptile demonstration from the National Zoo and Aquarium.
The special children's Christmas party is one of 20 across Australia, Canada and New Zealand catering for more than 35,000 children with terminal illness, physical or intellectual disabilities or social disadvantage.
More than 150 police and scout volunteers helped set up and dismantle displays.
They also took children, in small groups, into the toy grotto, to receive their gift – and a bear.
Melissa Keith and William McDonell drove down from Goulburn with 10-year-old Lily for the party.
"This is a good opportunity to get Lily out and about and into the community – it's for kids with special needs, and that's really rare," Ms Keith said.
Twins Zara and Finn Davidson from Harrison were in two-year-old heaven when they had a sneak preview of the massed bears.
Their mother, Megan, said they were invited to the party by the speech pathologist who is treating the twins.
"We were greeted by police officers and my [five year old] son Cooper spotted some Star Wars people," she said.
Judging by the noise at the party, the children were having a great time.
The good news is Ms Bowen is already working on next year's event, and is looking forward to the 21st.
