A ‘Scrub Hub’ has been set up in Hertfordshire to respond to the desperate need for scrubs in the county’s hospitals, clinics and GP surgeries.
The group was set up two weeks ago by Sarah Russell from Harpenden, and has 50 volunteers taking part across Herts who have already sewn over 300 sets of scrubs.
Due to coronavirus, the demand for scrubs has increased enormously – with medical professionals who do not normally wear scrubs now required to wear them as uniform as they can be washed at a higher temperature than normal clothes.
Herts Scrub Hub has already made deliveries to Lister Hospital in Stevenage, Watford General, Luton & Dunstable Hospital and Barnet Hospital, as well as many local GP surgeries.
The group, which now has more than 500 members on Facebook, has raised over £7,000 which has been used to buy over 2,500 metres of fabric, as well as thread and drawstrings for the waistbands.
Sarah, who has been furloughed from her day job, is kept busy sourcing the poly/cotton and cotton fabrics – which are also in very short supply – and managing the orders and deliveries with help from seamstresses Nicky Perrin and Carol Hayward.
She said: “Like many other people, I am in awe of the work our incredible NHS frontline teams are doing caring for our community during this crisis. I wanted to do something to help, so when I heard about the Scrub Hub movement, I decided to set up a local hub for Hertfordshire.
“I have been completely overwhelmed by the number of volunteers who have come forward to help, whether by making scrubs, making laundry bags or helping with deliveries.
“It really is a team effort, and it is a testament to all of their hard work that within two weeks of setting up, we have delivered over 300 sets of scrubs to frontline workers, and are working on another 300 ready to deliver next week.
“I’m also incredibly grateful to everyone who has donated to our GoFundMe page. The total raised is beyond anything I could have imagined and will allow us to keep going with this important work.”
If you need scrubs for your surgery or hospital contact hertfordshirescrubhub@gmail.com, or to donate go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/hertfordshire-scrub-hub
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