A stitch in time to help key workers – Cardiff and Vale College’s Kerry volunteers to sew scrubs

@CAVC Fashion and Textiles Lecturer Kerry Cameron has been working hard, volunteering to create scrubs for health workers in the #NHS and care organisations.

Kerry is part of a group of 20 people, including teachers, costume designers, scenic painters, curtain makers and retired workers, who came together on social media to raise £2,000 to make 200 scrubs.

The group have managed to boost their campaign through promotion on social media plus an interview on BBC Radio Wales saw them grow to 35 sewers and reach a new funding milestone of £6,000. Each set of scrubs costs £10 to make, and the group have reset their target to £7,500.

Kerry worked throughout the Easter break, producing the scrubs from home with help from her mum.

“So far we have produced 150 scrubs which have already been distributed and are being used by the NHS and key workers,” Kerry said. “There are also 480 pairs of scrubs which are being produced at the moment.

“We have currently raised £6,195. The more people donate the more we will continue to make scrubs and support our local NHS and key workers.

“To put my skills to use and contribute in supporting NHS and care workers within the community just felt like the right thing to do.”

If you would like to support Kerry and the team to make more scrubs for key workers, please visit their GoFundMe page which is linked here.

Cardiff and Vale College Principal Kay Martin said: “I am both heartened and humbled by the innovative ways people like Kerry across the College are using their expertise to bring support to those who most need it. I am so proud of them all.

“CAVC is at the heart of the communities that we serve which is why we are doing all we can to support those communities. Everyone has to pull together during times such as these.

“That is why the College is linking with our network of employers and community contacts to source much needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and make it available to those who need it in our community. Anyone can help.”

If you have a stock of PPE in your business/ possession, you can donate it to CAVC to make available to front-line staff at this time. We are not just looking for donations – if you are a supplier of PPE and have available stocks now and in future weeks, please let us know. We are also looking to generate funds to purchase stocks and make them available to those who need them at this time.

We are looking for:

• Masks
• Gloves
• Gowns
• Goggles

Ideally these would be the types commonly used in healthcare settings. However, if you have any of the above kit usually used within a different sector, for example construction or automotive, it still may be very valuable to help protect some frontline staff where some protection is better than none. 

The College has donated our stocks of the above usually used by staff and students in places like science labs or construction/ automotive workshops/ catering.  

To donate, or if you have any questions around stocks you may have to donate or supply the College with, please contact us via: [email protected].