Algarve Care Services, a community care company founded by British carer and entrepreneur Kelly Dugmore, has launched a new campaign called Share Bear, designed to raise awareness of loneliness and dementia across the Algarve.
The initiative, which officially launches on November 17, is inviting residents to donate teddy bears that will be cleaned, gift-wrapped, and left on benches, café tables, and public spaces around the region for people to find and pass on. Each bear carries a tag with a message and a QR code, allowing finders to upload a photo with their bear to a dedicated website and follow its journey. The goal, Dugmore says, is to “share a hug” while building connections among people who may otherwise feel isolated.
“The idea came about from something very small,” Dugmore explains. “I once gave a client a little stone with a message on it, and she cherished it. It made me think – what if we could do that across the Algarve, but with teddy bears that people can give to one another?”
Anyone can participate by donating bears at collection points located around the region, or by keeping an eye out for teddy bears ‘in the wild’. To accompany the campaign, Dugmore plans a series of Solidarity Lunches beginning in December or January, where people who have given or received a bear will be invited to meet, share stories, and enjoy a meal together. The first round of donations has already raised over €1,000 to support these events.
Dugmore’s passion for the project stems from her own experience as a carer, first in the UK looking after her grandmother with dementia, and later in Portugal, where she founded Algarve Care Services after seeing the lack of English-language support for dementia patients and their families. “So many people here are living alone, often with no nearby family or community network,” she says, adding that the campaign is about reminding people they’re not forgotten and showing how small acts of kindness can make a difference.
Share Bear will continue through the winter months, with plans to become an annual Algarve tradition.
“Hopefully we’ll make a big difference and raise a lot more awareness about what it is that we can do as a community to help people out there who are struggling,” Kelly Dugmore says.
Apart from its Share Bear campaign, Algarve Care Services is also looking to continue to establish itself as a household name in the Algarve and begin its expansion across Portugal.
“My ultimate dream is to build a dementia care resort, so that families that have loved ones with dementia can come and enjoy Portugal without having to worry about them wandering off or not receiving the care they need.”
Collection points for teddy bear donations include:
- Algarve Care Services, Vale Parra, Albufeira
- SAFICO, Travessa do Poço 2, Porches
- L3 Edifício Poço Novo, Rua Vale Formosa, Almancil
- Kit & Kaboodle, Almancil and Alcantarilha
- Remax Diamond, Lagos
- Elevate Accounting, Lagos
Anyone wishing to become a teddy drop-off location can contact Algarve Care Services at +351 927 688 677.
