Craft fans across Kent are being called to action, as community groups pop up to sew scrubs for the NHS.

The effort's organisers Sarah Mabb, Carole Dalton and Megan McKay first established Kent Scrubbers as an Ashford-based group on March 30, but they quickly set up six more in regions across Kent.

It comes as a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment is experienced by healthworkers across the country as it faces the coronavirus pandemic.

Templates for the medical wear are available to order online, however paper outlines stocks have been fast depleted due to the groundswell in volunteers stepping forward. So much so that they're only offering template downloads for the next couple of days.

Ms Mabb said: "We are in need across the county - we have set local admins in their local groups, so that all of these wonderful people can volunteer and donate in their own community.

"We all want to do something to help this fight, many of us are out-of-work seamstresses who feel we could be utilised to cover the shortage of scrubs.

"We owe a lot to our NHS and now is time to pay back our NHS staff and keep them safe and well.

"These generous people are receiving no funding or fabric, they are paying out of their own pockets.

"The scrubs themselves are pretty easy but sewers will need some experience of using patterns and garment construction. There are mask, wash bag and headgear patterns for beginner sewers.

"They are not just effective, they are vital for the frontline staff. There are fabric specifications, but that's easily obtained through our usual wholesale suppliers and we have ordered blue as requested."

The Kennington resident noted that he scrubs are a polycotton blend fabric, and while some hospitals and surgeries are requesting a certain colour - mainly blue - most are desperate enough to take any colour that's sewn.

So far, across all of the groups, about 600 helpers have thrown their hats into the ring over the last two days.

Currently, the only thing stopping work is the amount of fabric required and available.

Those with the necessary fabric are already hard at work, while others are waiting on the organisers' bulk order to come in before they can get their sewing machines and needles out.

For more information, click here, and you can join the Facebook group here.

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