Health Connections team make over 1,500 masks
A ‘REMARKABLE’ effort has seen more than 1,500 masks made by hand in just over two weeks.
Volunteers at Health Connections began making masks from donated fabric of all colours three weeks ago as an immediate response to the advice from government to wear a mask if possible.
‘We had the supplies and we knew the skill and will was out there through our encouragement of community sewing in the shop, so we reached out via our social media pages and overnight 30 people got in touch and this number quickly rose,’ Kate Bridges of Health Connections said.
‘I can’t tell you how amazing this project has been to be a part of and especially working alongside our incredible volunteers.
‘I get quite emotional when I’m communicating with them, especially after the most recent press briefing when we were made aware that mask wearing was going to be mandatory in indoor public places and continued to be strongly advised outside.’
Ms Bridges asked the volunteers how they felt about continuing, completely understanding if they felt they had done their bit and wanted to step back.
But their support was resounding, they all wanted to keep going.
Now the 50-strong team are continuing with any scrap fabric they can get their hands on.
‘The fabric is washed and put into packs with elastic and thread and collected by the volunteers from a crate outside our shop Preloved & Reloved Living in Smith Street,’ Ms Bridges said.
‘They make the masks following a simple pattern that I sent them all and then deliver the finished masks back to the same crate.
‘I collect them all up, pack them into threes with care instructions and Health Connections information and then they are quarantined for three days before being distributed to all our current points of sale.’
A £10 donation is suggested for a pack of three, although the price is not fixed to make them accessible to everyone, regardless of means.
People can pay with cash at the stalls or donate online at www.healthconnections.gg.
Home delivery can also being arranged using the voluntary transport service and large orders can be placed through shop@healthconnections.gg.
‘At the end of lockdown we would love to receive clean masks back from the public with a few words about what their lockdown experience has been like, the positives that they have found and the challenges they have had to deal with,’ Ms Bridges said.
‘We would like to make them into a huge patchwork banner, hopefully with the help of our sewing volunteers, visually representing the story of our Community experience of Lockdown 2 with the words alongside.’
