Sussex designers' sewing team make thousands of scrubs for NHS workers

Interior designer Dale George from Adelaide Crescent in Hove set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for fabrics and worked with designers Helen Mullany and Melinda Lawrence to connect a team of more than 200 sewers.

Interior designer Dale George

Dale said: “We’re all in a Facebook group called the Curtain and Blind Makers Friendly Forum, which has more than 3,000 members.

“We all want to help the NHS at this critical time and had noticed other fundraising groups around the country.

“As Melinda has contacts in the NHS she realised there was a big call for scrubs.

“Even GPs are wearing them now to protect themselves.”

The new NHS scrubs made by the team

Dale has been ordering fabrics to send to Helen, who lives in Bolney, and to Melinda in Burgess Hill, and the two designers have been cutting the polycotton into patterns ready to be made into scrubs by their team of sewers.

Dale said: “I can make curtains but I can’t make clothes to save my life, so I’ve put my skillset towards fundraising.

“Helen, Melinda and I collated a huge team of sewing bees locally with a big range of skills – whether it be cutting fabric, making waistbands and bags or sewing scrubs.

“Helen has a pattern cutting machine so we can make the most of all the fabric we use with minimal waste.”

Dale has delivered the scrubs to hospitals and GP surgeries across Sussex, including the Royal Sussex County Hospital, the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath and Worthing Hospital.

The 46-year-old said he had been “overwhelmed” by the response from NHS staff.

NHS workers at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in their new scrubs

He said: “Everyone loves them. One lady I delivered to said she felt like a beautician.

“Seeing the nurses’ smiles and the looks on their faces has been great – they were so thrilled.

“We’ve been distributing two sets each as we’d heard some workers were having to wash their single pair of scrubs every night.”

A nurse at the RSCH proudly shows off her new scrubs

The crowdfunding campaign has raised more than £11,000 in three weeks and the team has made about 2,000 sets of scrubs so far.

Some of the workwear has been sent to other NHS groups around the country, including Birmingham, Cornwall and Leeds.

Dale said: “It’s an unbelievable situation we’re going through, but the feedback has been nothing but lovely.”

To donate, go to the GoFundMe page.

• Local newspapers across Newsquest are joining forces to raise money for workers at the frontline of the healthcare crisis. Please donate whatever you can, and let us give a collective, united message to our NHS workers of our huge appreciation for their efforts. You can get involved and support our campaign by sharing our appeal and telling us why you are thankful for the NHS #ThankYouNHS on social media using the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-our-nhs-guardian-angels.