1,000 scrub wash bags donated to hospital trusts and care homes
More than 1,000 scrub wash bags were donated to a Black Country hospital trust and care homes across the region last month.
Kim Attwood, a student nurse at Walsall Manor Hospital, co-ordinated the effort – with 600 wash bags distributed to New Cross Hospital and 200 to West Park Hospital in one week alone.
Around 300 have been delivered to the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust and 1,000 went to care homes.
Kim, a mother-of-three from Randlay in Telford, has never sewn before – but came up with the idea so her mother, Alison Higdon, a specialist midwife at New Cross, had somewhere to put her uniform in after her shift.
Kim's husband, Rory Attwood, 39, used to make sofas and her parents had brought her a sewing machine which hadn't been used. But inspired by her new idea, she threw herself into her task.
The 31-year-old set up a Facebook page – Sewing for the NHS Wolverhampton and Telford – to encourage more people to join in. There are now more than 400 people in the group, which comprises of all ages and abilities.
Kim said: "People have said how grateful they are and how useful the bags are. One lady said her eight-year-old son was helping her."
The bags come in two sizes and are made from cotton or poly cotton, so they can be put through a 60 degree wash.
Kim, who is on maternity leave following the birth of her three-month-old son Alfie, and her band of helpers also make headbands and ear savers – following requests from staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). Around 1,000 ear savers have already been distributed.
Material for the wash bags has been donated by Gem's Fabric and Haberdashery in Oakengates, in Telford, and the Divine Oakar Mission Charity, in Wolverhampton. Nurses, care homes and Kim's friends and family have also donated a variety of materials – including duvets, cushion covers and bed sheets.
