A GROUP of Westbury sewers have banded together to make face coverings to raise money for charity and support vulnerable people in the community.
The Westbury Mask Collective was formed at the end of June, inspired by an idea by local woman Laura Searle – they meet at pop-up ‘Face Mask Trees’ held at EJ Crafts, Maristow Street, and The Woollery, Warminster Road.
The group provides handmade face coverings for free to anyone in the community who is identified as vulnerable, whilst others can obtain a face covering for the suggested donation of £2 – any profit made is donated to Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
On behalf of the group, Emma Symonds from E J Crafts, told White Horse News, “The initiative was the idea of Laura Searle, and already we have quite a few people involved. But we always need more people to help! You don’t have to be a sewer – you can help with tasks such as threading the elastic through the face coverings.
“And if anybody would like to donate any cotton/cotton blend fabrics or any elastic we will be very grateful. They can drop it off at my shop on Maristow Street. And, also if anybody would like to hold a pop-up ‘mask tree’ themselves, please get in touch.”
About their face coverings the group says, “Our face coverings are made with love by the Westbury Mask Collective. Instructions for your face covering. This face covering is made from new and upcycled cotton and cotton blend fabric. It is washable, in with your usual laundry, and reusable. We recommend washing before first use.
“Please understand that our face coverings are not a replacement for medical grade PPE. In circumstances where medical grade PPE is recommended you should consult a health care professional. The decision to use this face covering is entirely yours.
“Please remember that the use of a face covering is not intended to replace other recommended measures to stop the community spread of coronavirus, such as social distancing, washing your hands and refraining from touching your face. Please follow the latest advice as how to best keep yourself safe.
“The suggested donation is £2, this enables us to provide free face coverings to the vulnerable, any profits go to Air Ambulance.”
The face coverings can be obtained from the two ‘Face Mask Trees’ at EJ Crafts, 18 Maristow St, Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9am – 4.30pm. And The Woollery, 6 Warminster Road, Wednesdays to Saturdays, 10am – 1pm. For more information, or to get involved with the group, search for ‘Westbury Face Coverings’ on Facebook.
