New College Stamford has teamed up with a group of committed volunteers from Stamford and surrounding areas to produce essential scrubs for NHS workers and carers.
In just a short period of time, the group has welcomed over 400 volunteers, including 250 sewers that are currently working tirelessly from their homes with spare material they already have.
As word of the project grew, the ‘Helping with Headbands’ sewing group have joined forces, and the Friends of Peterborough Trust have kindly donated 14 industrial reels of material towards the project, with Oddies Textiles generously offering to deliver the donation.
The next challenge was how to cut the large quantities of fabric into manageable amounts which is when coordinator Jo Winterbourne contacted the College’s fashion department for help.
New College Stamford were of course more than happy to support the fantastic project and provided access to the industry standard facilities available within the college’s Creative Arts Fashion department, a space specifically designed for producing a number of garments each year.
The material will be delivered directly to the college and the small group of the sewers who have been self-isolating will use the college’s specialist cutting machines to cut the material in to manageable lengths.
Not only will the team be producing scrubs for staff to wear but also laundry bags for their uniforms and scrubs to go in to protect their families, as well as a bespoke headband designed with buttons to attach their PPE mask to saving them from having to hook the painful elastic band behind their ears each day at work. All of which will be donated to local hospitals and care homes.
Janet Meenaghan, Principal at New College Stamford said, “This project aligns many of the values we champion, including supporting projects in the community so were delighted to have the opportunity to help such a brilliant local project in a safe and practical way.
Logistics Coordinator for the project Jo Winterbourne added, “We have been overwhelmed with support from the entire community, and are grateful so many people have been able to help ensure NHS workers have safe and comfortable PPE to wear. The space and specialist equipment in the College’s fashion department is perfect for us to continue to support this important project.”
If you have a sewing machine to hand and want to help produce scrubs for NHS staff, or are a business that is looking to donate supplies to the project please contact Fortheloveofscrubs2@gmail.com.
