A GROUP of sewing enthusiasts from around the region have pledged to help the NHS by making scrubs for medical staff to wear in hospital.

One member of the group, which is part of a national For the Love of Scrubs campaign on Facebook, Charlotte Roche, was moved to organise the local effort after seeing frontline NHS staff on television appealing for help with basic equipment.

Mrs Roche, from Marske-by-the-Sea, said: “Over the last couple of weeks I’ve seen on the news stories from the US where medical staff were appealing for face masks, and I just thought it was terrible.

“Then I heard that in the UK hospitals were reporting they were short on basic scrubs for doctors and nurses to wear, because it is not really safe for them to be wearing their normal uniform and often need to change several times a day.

“I’m part of a sewing group on Facebook and heard about For The Love of Scrubs, which is happening around the country. I decided to co-ordinate it for James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, and now have a group of about 60 of us sewing scrubs.”

Mrs Roche, who has five children at home aged 19, 18, nine, eight and two, is a maths teacher at Laurence Jackson School in Guisborough and currently working from home.

She said: “I’ve got a bit more time with being at home and I really wanted to do something to help the NHS.

“We have all been buying our own fabric and our first batch was delivered to James Cook Hospital on Friday. We are trying to work up batches and delivering them to a staff member I’m in contact with.

“They are just desperate for as many as they can get. We are using light cotton, or poly-cotton, as they have to wear PPE on top and it can get very hot.

“Each set of scrubs, top and bottoms, needs about three metres of fabric, and it isn’t very expensive, but it does all add up.

“We’d love for anyone who has spare fabric, wants to donate fabric, or can sew, to get in touch with me via Facebook.

“I’m not an expert sewer. It takes me about three hours to make a set but there are some professionals among us who take half that time.

“Some will make dozens of sets, some might only make a few but they are all amazing because they are helping the NHS.” Find Charlotte Roche on Facebook for ways to help.