Your stories: UK Crafters supporting the NHS
Sam Smith – PA to Associate Professor Jemma Hopewell, Sarah Lewington, Sarah Parish and Jonathan Emberson at the Nuffield Department of Population Health – is putting her crafting skills to good use for the benefit of NHS staff
I’m a member of UK Crafters in the Oxfordshire and Central hub, a group that makes handmade items for local charities. Our current campaign is sewing cloth bags for NHS staff, and other frontline workers, to throw their uniforms into at the end of the
shift to take home to launder. The bag can also be added to the wash – it’s something to help lessen the risk of contamination.
I’ve completed 76 bags so far and have almost finished a further 20. In total, our group has produced over 4,000 bags and we’re contacting other areas to see if we can help them out too. BBC Oxford ran a short video about this project which you can find on Facebook
I've also just started knitting ear protectors for face masks – who would have thought there would be a demand for such a thing just a few weeks ago! These provide padding to help prevent staff getting sore ears, which is becoming an issue
for some people from wearing a mask constantly at work.
I find it really rewarding being involved with this group. It’s great to be doing something practical and feel that you are being useful at this time. Friends who work at the JR have been taking them in. They've reported back that the workers are
really grateful for the bags and that they make a huge difference.
Everyone is welcome to join the group. Find out more about the UK Crafters on their Facebook page.
