As new travel enquiries tailed off, Midcounties Co-operative personal travel agent Julie Bowden wanted to do her bit to help during the coronavirus pandemic.
A former needlework teacher, Bowden decided to put her skills to best use by helping to make much-needed laundry bags for NHS nurses.
She said: “At the moment, new enquiries are pretty much nil and it’s gone very quiet apart from refunds and dealing with existing customers. I wanted to do something useful.”
Bowden, who already works in the local police custody suite as an appropriate adult helping vulnerable people in her spare time, immediately contacted a sewing group to see how she could help.
She said: “I’d seen on Facebook that nurses needed people to sew laundry bags and hats so I got in touch with a local group who gave me a basic pattern to follow.
“Nurses can’t wear uniforms home from hospital any more so they need drawstring bags for them and they put the whole lot in the washing machine when they get home.”
Bowden posted an appeal on her own Facebook page for duvet covers and sheets that could be washed at 60C, and was inundated with offers of material.
“I spent a day collecting old duvets from people’s doorsteps,” she said. “I’m now working my way through the pile to make the bags. So far I’ve made about a dozen.”
The sewing group delivers the 50cm bags to local hospitals.
Bowden added: “I’m no good at sitting about and I’m not ill, so it’s good to do something to help.”
