Peterborough Freemasons give £2,000 for local scrubs charity

Peterborough Freemasons in conjunction with the Masonic Charitable Foundation have donated £2,000 to support the work of ‘For the Love of Scrubs Stamford’, with many, including Peterborough Key Workers benefiting.
Sarah Ward Jones in her new ScrubsSarah Ward Jones in her new Scrubs
Sarah Ward Jones in her new Scrubs

The group is run entirely by volunteers, and relies on fundraising and donations to purchase fabric, tape and thread to make garments for NHS and Healthcare workers on the frontline.

The initiative, which is part of the national ‘For the Love of Scrubs – Our NHS Needs You’ campaign, is locally-led by Miriam Spring Davies along with Jo Winterbourne, Bex Key, Lucy Thornton-Reid, and Beck Rogers. Miriam was moved to establish the Stamford group in response to the national PPE shortage. Usually working as the Head of Wardrobe at the Stamford Shakespeare Company at Tolethorpe, she has swapped making Shakespearian costumes for scrubs, surgical hats and washbags, and in just a few short weeks has recruited 1,000 volunteers to help her.

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Talking about the Freemasons donation, Miriam said; “Scrubs are being used more than ever in hospitals, care homes, and hospices in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. It’s absolute incredible to be able to find a way of supporting our hard-working healthcare staff. Our volunteers are all giving their time freely and are using their fabulous skills to make garments that will have a real impact to those working on the frontline during COVID-19. This welcomed donation from the Freemasons will provide more of the vital materials we need.”

To date, the team of volunteers has sewn and provided 1,147 local NHS and healthcare workers with a set of scrubs. Distributions have been made to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust, and the Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice amongst others.

Jo Winterbourne, head of logistics and distribution for the team, says: “The need for scrubs and protective clothing is still great and we’ve received over 10,000 orders for garments from establishments across the region. We rely entirely on donations to respond to this demand, so we thank the Freemasons for their support.”

Pictured is medic Sarah Ward Jones, who tweeted “I am so grateful for my new red scrubs - perfect for my new role at Peterborough City Hospital. Makes a nice change from my blue ones! The laundry bags are a fab idea too - much appreciated.”

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Head of local Freemasons, Max Bayes said: “I am very proud of our response to this COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, local Freemasons have raised over £20,000, which has been donated to food banks and community groups to support the most vulnerable in our community. We are especially pleased to support this hard-working team and their inspirational group of volunteers in the supply of much-needed protective clothing to our NHS and Healthcare frontline staff.”

If you would like to learn more about the group, email Jo Winterbourne at [email protected]

If you want to know more about Freemasonry in the Peterborough area, visit www.northants-huntsmasons.org.uk or call 01733 331948.