Northampton and Coventry Stakes sew for the NHS
The recent epidemic has had an unprecedented effect on all of us. In the Church we have a natural desire to help, but with the COVID-19 restrictions it is hard to know how!
Sister Jakki Bardsley of the Daventry Branch decided to set up a group called ‘Crafting for Those in Need’.
Jakki is a keen quilt maker and started small with her established group of sewing friends. But, after an appeal on Facebook, the community exploded to more than 150 people actively involved across Northampton and Coventry stakes, with members and nonmembers alike.
The group serves Kettering and Northampton hospitals, GP surgeries, care homes, and schools. By late May, the group had made 421 sets of scrubs (medical staff uniforms), 816 scrub bags, 658 headbands, 74 ear savers and 227 face masks. They knitted and crocheted hearts for the bereavement unit and small quilts for the neonatal unit.
Jakki comes from a military background, and her organisational skills have been useful. She has a massive map at home with colour-coded pins marking the people involved. The logistics of distributing fabric, patterns and instructions, and then gathering completed items were challenging with lock-down, so she set up a network of individuals acting as ‘collection hubs’ in each area to minimise the journeys each person needed to make.
Nina Kerrou, who coordinates humanitarian service and JustServe in the Northampton Stake, said, “In organising this project it has been fantastic to link up again with people who were involved in leading on refugee aid in other stakes. It has been a great opportunity to unite with people outside the Church who want to serve and use their talents. Within the Church, members have been very willing, even if they haven’t sewn for a long time; they have dusted off sewing machines and got to work!”
Sheran Oke, director of Nursing, Midwifery & Patient Services, said, “I would like to thank Jakki Bardsley and all the volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for supporting the staff of Northampton General Hospital in producing items such as caps, headbands and bags. We truly appreciate the thoughtfulness and kindness of our communities at this difficult time.”
When asked what inspired her, Jakki said: “When I came into the Church and heard about the pioneers and their hardships, I felt empowered and inspired. I remember I am a pioneer—we all are! These are new times for all of us. It is a time for us to unite. It doesn’t matter what faith we are, what colour, what job we have! Through this, I’ve really seen the power of community. It’s been a difficult time these past few months but working with these selfless people has certainly made me smile and appreciate life more each day.”