Supporting the NHS

Stacey Hartshorn Sep 2020

Laundry bags made for Addenbrookes
(Stacey Hartshorn)

When Lockdown was announced, it had an immediate effect on my Harston-based soft furnishings business. Once the curtains, blinds & cushions I was working on were ready, I could not deliver to clients, and no new work was possible.

Along with many others, I wanted to put my unexpected free time to something useful and practical. I contacted Addenbrooke’s to find out whether they needed anything I could make. PPE was in short supply and many hospital staff were having to wear scrubs for the first time. I decided to focus on making laundry bags for scrubs – at the end of the shift the uniform went into the bag then the whole thing went straight into the washing machine, reducing the risk of contamination.

With fabric from previous projects and rolls of curtain lining, I set about making as many bags as I could. The first delivery went to Addenbrooke’s mid-April, followed by almost 150 bags for my father in law’s care home. And a chance conversation with a nurse at the Harston surgery resulted in bags for all the doctors and nurses.

Generous donations of pillow cases, duvet covers and sheets from neighbours in Harston and beyond kept the fabric levels topped up. And the final delivery to Addenbrooke’s brought the bag making to an end…for now.

The picture above shows the first batch of laundry bags, just before their delivery to Addenbrookes. You can see how long ago it was (15 April) as there was so little growing in the garden!

This page was added on 29/10/2020.

No Comments

Start the ball rolling by posting a comment on this page!

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.