Thank you for your interest in this story

To continue reading this article, subscribe to the Stray Ferret for as little as £1 a week

Already a subscriber? Log in here.

Apr 2020

Last Updated: 25/04/2020

Health

Volunteers in Ripon and Studley Roger use sewing skills to support health workers

by Tim Flanagan

| 25 Apr, 2020

Sewing volunteers across the Harrogate district have rallied to the call to produce vital items of PPE for healthcare workers

studley-roger-17th-april-2020-janet-collins-with-sets-of-scrubs-2

Production of much-needed PPE for health workers in Harrogate and Ripon forms a common thread that links Eileen Jordan, Janet Collins, Caroline Lodge and numerous other people across the Harrogate district.

All have responded to urgent appeals made through social media, for people to either provide material, or use their sewing skills to support the NHS and staff working in care homes.

Hundreds of items, vital to the protection of healthcare workers in both the public and private sectors, including full sets of scrubs, masks, scrubs bags and head bands, have been produced and distributed, with support from family, friends, neighbours and businesses.

Eileen (pictured above) who lives in Ripon has, with the help of husband Martin, produced almost 200 masks and is now turning her attention to making scrubs bags, with material donated by people such as Caroline Lodge, whose Rosie and Clover home furnishings shop in Westgate, Ripon, is closed because of the coronavirus crisis.

Eileen, whose husband is a retired Staff Sergeant who served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, told The Stray Ferret: "I saw a FaceBook post calling for sewers to lend a hand in producing masks and decided to volunteer. I was put in contact with Janet, my 'sewing buddy' and it is great to be working with her.

She added:

"When I turned to making bags for scrubs, Martin was very helpful and a 15 metre length of parachute chord that he had in the garage, has come in very handy to act as ties for them."

Janet, who is Australian, called on the help of friends and neighbours in Studley Roger and said: "I asked if they had spare sheets and duvet covers, that I could use as the material for making scrubs and was amazed by the number of items donated. My husband David is kept busy cutting out the patterns, while I do the sewing. The finished items are then sent to be laundered at 60 degrees before they are distributed to health workers."

She added:

"We were due to visit Australia at the end of March, but our flights were cancelled. I suppose if we had been allowed to travel, I would have been making sets of scrubs for Australian healthcare workers."

In addition to working with Eileen, Janet has been joined by two neighbours in Studley Roger, who are also putting their sewing skills to good use and both women would like to encourage anybody with a sewing machine and time to spare, to join the PPE production line, by contacting a group such as Harrogate Sewers for Face Masks, whose details can be found on FaceBook.