A NATIONWIDE army of amateur stitchers is working flat out to provide frontline medics with the washable protective clothing they desperately need.
They have sewn almost 25,000 sets of home-made scrubs — and churn out thousands more each day.
There are now 100 “Scrub Hubs” across Britain. Katie Stalker, 31, who runs one in Cumbria, said: “It’s amazing to be able to help.
“It’s quite emotional when you get orders from doctors who are desperately in need. They’re so grateful.
“The Scrub Hubs have people who wanted to help together and there’s a real community spirit about it.”
The movement began when an east London doctor asked her local WhatsApp group for volunteers to produce home-made scrubs.
Neighbours set up the first Scrub Hub in Hackney Wick — and within days dozens of similar groups had sprung up across Britain.
Now there are nearly 100 Scrub Hubs who take orders from individual doctors and nurses rather than hospitals or NHS trusts.
Their volunteers source washable fabric from suppliers, draw up designs then cut and sew the garments to professional medical standards — and even deliver the finished products.
BRITAIN’s four million NHS staff are on the frontline in the battle against coronavirus.
But while they are helping save lives, who is there to help them?
The Sun has launched an appeal to raise £1MILLION for NHS workers.
The Who Cares Wins Appeal aims to get vital support to staff in their hour of need.
We have teamed up with NHS Charities Together in their urgent Covid-19 Appeal to ensure the money gets to exactly who needs it.
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Fiona Anable, who set up a Scrub Hub in Teesside, said: “Medical staff are having an awful time on the frontline while many who’d like to help can do nothing but sit at home twiddling their thumbs.
“This marries up the two sides.
“So many people want to get involved as volunteers.”
Fiona O’Connor, who helps run a group in Chichester, West Sussex, said: “It was like setting up a new business overnight.”
Today’s daily Covid-19 update revealed a further 828 hospital deaths, taking the official UK total to 17,337.
But the true number including deaths outside hospital could be as high as 24,500, it is feared.
We are urging Sun readers to sign a petition calling for our NHS staff to be awarded the George Cross.
We are backing a proposal by Lord Ashcroft to honour our health heroes with the gallantry gong given for acts of bravery that did not take place in battle.
A No10 spokesman said: “The NHS is doing a fantastic job and the nation will want to find a way to say thank you when we have defeated this virus.”
SAS hero Andy McNab added: “The award of a George Cross would show an emotional appreciation.”
We are asking our readers to please sign the petition below.
The number of NHS workers to die coronavirus-related deaths rose to 110.
New figures also revealed care home deaths from the virus leapt five-fold to more than 1,000 in the week ending Apil 10.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock faced growing pressure after the number of tests carried out for Covid-19 fell for the second day in a row.
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