At its peak, Harrogate Scrubbers had 800 members making scrubs for hospital staff during the first covid lockdown. The group worked frantically and in just six weeks, 2037 scrubs were handed over to front line staff at Harrogate District Hospital.

It was an extraordinary community response to a health crisis and a serious shortage of PPE supplies.

To celebrate and remember their achievement, scrubbers were invited to sew a square of fabric for a quilt. Each was asked to detail what it meant to them to be part of the sewing group.  The squares have been made into five beautiful quilts. The scrubbers founder, Fran Taylor, has also created a book with photos of the squares and each group member’s memories.

Tonight, the group will gather at the Pavilions of Harrogate to see the quilts on display in what is expected to be an emotional event.

Fran explained,

“The experience of being part of the Harrogate Scrubbers meant so much to so many people, that we wanted to commemorate the groups achievements, and also give everyone something to remember for the part they played supporting the NHS in the pandemic”

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One of the five completed quilts (above) and below an excerpt from Fran’s book. 

Lisa Sumpton from Harrogate, who two years ago was in charge of logistics for the scrubbers, said:

“It’s just nice to see all the squares that have been lovingly made by individuals- to represent a moment when a community came together to something good at a time of great uncertainty”.

The contribution the scrubbers made to support the NHS and its staff locally has not been forgotten.

Sammy Lambert, the business development, charity and volunteer manager for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:

“It does feel surreal two years on. Unless you lived through the time and felt the community spirit, it’s hard to explain.

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to Fran and all the scrubbers for helping us to do our jobs at such a difficult time”

Tonight the scrubbers will come together, many having formed friendships through the project, they’ll raise a glass to each other and be formally thanked by Sarah Armstrong, Chair of Harrogate Hospital Trust for their wonderful work during the pandemic.

The coordinator of a community project to create more than 4,000 sets of scrubs for key workers has been honoured by a women’s group in Harrogate.

Fran Taylor was invited to speak at a virtual meeting of Harrogate and District Soroptimists, outlining how her plan to make a couple of sets of scrubs for staff at Harrogate District Hospital turned into a major campaign.

She set up a Facebook group, Harrogate Scrubbers, asking others to sew scrubs or donate money for material. Within 24 hours, 200 people had signed up and more than £4,500 had been raised.

Five weeks later, an army of 800 volunteers were cutting out, sewing, organising and delivering the vital scrubs, masks, laundry bags and headbands to NHS staff.

The volunteers worked closely with the hospital and other organisations to ensure the right equipment went to the right places, expanding to care homes and GP surgeries too.

Fran Taylor is presented with the award by Harrogate and District Soroptimists president Sandra Frier.

After hearing her tale, the Soroptimists presented maths teacher Fran with their Making a Difference award. President Sandra Frier said:

“It was a great pleasure to be able to meet Fran and, whilst socially distancing, present the Making a Difference award to her, together with a cheque for the Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity, in recognition of someone who has made a real difference for our community.”

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Burglars made off in a BMW with a first aid kit, a box of face masks and two sets of handmade doctor’s scrubs from a home in south Harrogate.

The Westbourne Avenue home was targeted between midnight and 6.45am on Saturday, June 20, when thieves broke in and took the keys for the grey BMW 220 D, which was on the driveway.

The car was recovered later that day after crashing and being abandoned on the way to Wetherby. However, items from inside the car were stolen.

As well as the face masks, scrubs and first aid kit, they included a child’s car seat, Ray-Ban sunglasses and a make-up bag. A personalised thermometer was also stolen from a doctor’s bag, but the bag was left outside the house.

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North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses and information from the public aboutt he “two-in-one” burglary. A spokesman said:

“In particular, [we] are appealing for information about any suspicious people or vehicles seen in the area, and any CCTV or dash-cam or doorbell footage taken in the area at the time of the offence.

“[We] would also like to hear from anyone who has seen or been offered any of the stolen items for sale under suspicious circumstances.

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.

Harrogate Scrubbers gained 200 Facebook followers and raised more than £4,500 in its first 24 hours of existence. The group was formed in response a the nation wide shortage of scrubs and has committed to make 700 scrubs for staff working in the Harrogate area to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The project is being organised by Fran Taylor (above) , a teacher at St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate, in conjunction with the Foundation Trust that runs Harrogate District Hospital. Fran is coordinating fabric orders, pattern printing and delivery of the finished items from home.

“‘The community response has been genuinely humbling, with offers of help from people stuck at home, community groups, local companies and professional sewing groups. It has created a team atmosphere and real community spirit, actually giving people a purpose and the ability to feel that they are supporting the NHS both through staying at home, but also doing something productive while they are there”

Some of the scrubs sewn by volunteers ready to be delivered to the hospital

Yesterday Harrogate District Hospital made an appeal for community help in sourcing gowns after a national shortage- saying it needed to plan ahead to ensure supply and particularly needed long sleeve, water proof gowns. 

A fundraiser was set up online  with support coming from individuals as well as organisations including guesthouse association Accommodation Harrogate, and estate agents, Verity Frearson.

Earlier this week, Fran found herself borrowing the keys to her church in order to have the floor space to roll out, measure and cut the fabric. Once cut, it was parcelled up with patterns – printed by Enid Taylor on Cold Bath Road – and sent out to the volunteers.

“There’s really fantastic community support,” she said. “Any enthusiastic beginner can come and help us. We’re always looking for people to come and sew and support us with organising and getting supplies to our drop-off point.”

As well as blue scrubs, spare fabric is being used to create laundry bags

Local businesses are involved too in supplying fabric.  Harrogate interior design firm Furnish & Fettle are providing over 800m of fabric and getting the team to join in with sewing and deliveries.

Owner Eleanor Goddard said, ‘We are delighted to be able to do something to support the NHS and utilise the supplies we have in stock. This is a brilliant way for us to give something back and thank all those on the frontline.’

White Rose Sewing in Harrogate are also supporting the scheme and have offered to help with supplying some of the materials as has M&M Fabrics in Leeds’s Kirkgate market.

The volunteers will make scrubs, laundry bags, scrub caps and waterproof gowns.

“There’s lots of people who are at home more than they would like to be and maybe who have got extra time on their hands because of being furloughed and that’s a real worry for them,” Fran said. “Being able to keep busy is good for their mental health and it also helps people to feel connected.”

Can you help?

The good news is you can help even if you can’t sew..Roles and items The Harrogate Scrubbers need:

• People who can sew both scrubs and bags to put them in
• People able to deliver and collect the fabric and scrubs
• Donations of money to help buy the fabric and accessories
• Donations of plain lightweight polycotton fabric or new sheets
• Volunteers to cut the fabric into packs and prepare them
• Printers to print the patterns to go in the packs

To donate, visit: https://tinyurl.com/harrogatescrubbers Join the Facebook group  www.facebook.com/groups/harrogatescrubbers    Alternatively, contact Fran Taylor directly harrogatescrubbers@gmail.com