On April 4th Sue set up a GoFundMe page in hope of raising £500 which would allow for sufficient materials to make PPE for our healthcare heroes. She stated from the off that she “would like to make as many sets of scrubs as possible as the NHS has saved my life more than once”.
Sue has suffered five brain haemorrhages and this Herculean sewing effort is her way of saying thank you to those NHS heroes who have saved her life and over the last few months have saved countless lives. Initially, Sue had raised a bit of money in Wingham village selling her crafty creations and purchased and sewed 10 sets. Now, close to four months later, she has raised almost £5,000 and sewed at the time of writing 147 sets of scrubs, hundreds of masks and shows no signs of stopping or slowing down as she tells CommunityAd “all the time I have funds available I will continue to make and donate scrubs for those that need them”.
There is no doubt about the fact that the NHS has had to rely on the army of kind volunteers such as Sue during this pandemic due to the damning decade of cuts inflicted by this government, and as tragic as that is it also makes us so proud of the community spirit and togetherness that have shone through. Supportive messages have been plentiful such as “It’s a very worthy cause that could help everyone of us”, “Our NHS is relying on the likes of this lovely lady to keep them safe and save lives” and “fantastic work, you are inspirational”. The largest donation came from television chef and food writer Alexandra Hollywood who generously donated £1,000 and kindly wrote “what an amazing thing you’re doing”. CommunityAd had the pleasure of a quick chat with Sue.
So, Sue, what is your first memory of sewing and crafting?
I think I was about 13-years-old at school but nothing too serious until my children (now 30, 34 & 35) were babies a friend asked me to make her wedding dress and for several years I made wedding gowns.
Have you noticed an increased sense of community and togetherness through this?
Yes very much so… it has brought out the very good in a lot of people and I have been amazed at people’s generosity.
If you wish to keep this superb sewer we know as Sue doing what she loves then please donate.