How I'm supporting the NHS using my sewing skills during the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the start of the Coronavirus pandemic I have felt totally helpless and really frustrated that I am not able to help my NHS colleagues to combat this invisible enemy.

         

                    NHS logo


My own autoimmune condition and the medication I need to treat it actively prevents me from returning to the NHS to join the ranks of medical professionals who are, quite frankly, risking their own lives to care for people suffering with    Covid-19.
Spending the last 40 years as a nurse this inability to join the fight goes against everything I have been trained for and it doesn't sit easy with me at all.

 

                           Nurse now making dog collars, leads and bandanas

So when I spotted the Facebook group 'For The Love Of Scrubs' online I knew that there was something I could do to help my “NHS family”.

All medical professionals need equipment, uniform and PPE to protect themselves against this hardy virus and it is an absolute priority to keep them all comfortable and well enough to safely do their jobs.

We, as a population, completely rely on their knowledge and skill to care for us when we are at our most vulnerable if we are unfortunate enough to contract this virus and end up in hospital. Their stress levels will be off the scale right now so the very last thing that they should be concerned about is being able to find suitable scrubs to wear at work.

This is why I have decided to temporarily suspend hand making dog collars, leads, bandanas and bows in favour of making scrubs for NHS staff.

                     NHS scrubs made by dog accessory company

I still have plenty of items in stock that I can easily post out to you, so the website is still live and you can continue to place orders during this difficult time if you wish to. 

I started the ball rolling by ordering fabric suitable for scrubs from a supplier yesterday.  I posted about this on Facebook and several lovely friends who are ex-nurses made donations of fabric so I can keep sewing and they can be part of the support effort. Many of my dog mad friends on Facebook also contacted me to donate, so at the time of typing I have over 100m of polycotton winging it's way to me in the post! 


                      Fabric for handmade scrubs being made for he NHS by dog collar company

 

Whilst waiting for the fabric to arrive I'm teaching my daughter how to use my spare sewing machine so she can help. She is stuck here in self isolation with me as was at home visiting us when the lock down occurred. She is now jobless with no prospect of continuing in her career as an actor within musical theatre until the West End reopens at the end of this crisis.
We are looking forward to the day when she will be back on stage singing. Meanwhile I get to be her audience as she sings along whilst we sew together.

                         
                       Hannah and Leo working for Leo Charley and me sewing scrubs for the NHS

The NHS is an incredible organisation and you never realise it's worth until you need the services and care of the amazing staff who work within it. The very least that anyone and everyone can do to support the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, porters, cleaners and all the allied professionals, is to stay at home, maintain strict social distancing and wash your hands.

These simple and easily achievable measures can significantly reduce spread of the virus which will reduce the immense pressure on the NHS by keeping the situation within manageable limits.

Many more people will die if people continue to ignore government guidelines on social distancing.

We should all play our part as we are in this together.

If you would like to contribute to my effort to clothe our NHS staff adequately, please email kimmymakes@gmail.com and I will reply with a link to the company supplying me with material for the scrubs.

It currently costs £2 per metre and it takes about 2.5m to make a full set of scrubs. Any donation of fabric will be gratefully received.

             

Thank you so much. 🐾🐾❤️


Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published