COVID-19 has seen volunteers from BAE Systems Submarines doing what they can to help out in the local community, few more so than Senior Quality Engineer Diane Walker.
A keen seamstress, she turned her hand to sewing scrubs for the NHS as part of a Facebook group.
Diane said: “I felt like I was like a part of ‘the war effort’ that my parents had told many tales of, and I should use my skills to good use.
“Soon our Facebook group had developed into local groups. We have a ‘team leader’ who co-ordinates everyone in our group and liaises with the main group. She organises drop off of the packs of cut out scrubs and pick-ups of the items we have produced.
“I’ve been sewing since I was a young child – my mum was a keen sewer and my sister also enjoys sewing.
“We message words of encouragement to each other in the group, which was especially necessary in the early days when we were all getting used to the instructions for the scrubs and hats, and the group shares messages of gratitude from the recipients of the items. It really helps to see where the items are going and how much difference we are making to them.”
To help with the sewing, Diane has been allowed an hour-a-day of paid time off.
If you want to help out, or if you know of a non-frontline organisation in need of scrubs, visit http://nwcumbriascrubhub.co.uk/
