#Masks4All Dorchester (M4AD) is a small local not for profit group, that began at the start of April with the idea of supporting local volunteers and other frontline workers who were out in the community.
It began with a conversation between Emma Scott from Dorchester Town Council, Rosie Lees from the Embroidery Barn and Emma Teasdale from Bonjour Café, inspired by the international Masks4All movement.
“We wanted to help essential workers but without putting any pressure on medical grade PPE which is rightly prioritised for NHS staff. So we started looking into the science and arguments for and against using a homemade facemasks and quickly found that whilst cloth masks are not promoted as offering the wearer protection from Covid-19, the argument is that they help to stop the wearer from unknowingly spreading the disease. We have become increasingly aware during this pandemic that many people might actually have the virus and not even know it – they are asymptomatic, or maybe they have the virus but haven’t developed symptoms yet – they are pre-symptomatic. Either way, a cloth covering over the face can reduce transmission of the virus which means we are less likely to give it to each other – this is called source control!”
Emma, Emma and Rosie decided to create packs of material with instructions on how to make masks. They did a call out to local people with sewing machines and were overwhelmed by the response. Over 180 sewers quickly offered their time and materials to help. To date around 500 masks have been distributed, with another 600 being collected, washed and bagged up, and with several hundred more still being made.
The masks, which are given for free, have gone mainly to care home staff, teachers, outdoor workers and community volunteers.
Having worked more broadly, the group are now focussing their efforts on supporting key workers in the Dorchester area – and they want to hear from you if you would like to receive free masks for yourself or for your organisation. They are also working with partners such as the fantastic Scrub Hub groups who have themselves produced huge amounts of PPE for the NHS, local GP’s, care homes and other care settings.
M4AD hope that everyone will get on board with Government advice to start wearing homemade facemasks in crowded places where it is difficult to practice social distancing such as on public transport or in shops. There are lots of different designs available on the internet – many of which are easy to make and don’t event require sewing – and can be made easily with items you have in your home already. If you are able to sew, M4AD have provided a pattern for the masks they are producing on their Facebook page – just search for Masks4All Dorchester – and do also contact them especially if you are able to use your own material and do some sewing for them – or if you want to make a financial donation!
The group are also happy to advise others who want to set up sewing hubs in their local communities.
And if you are looking to purchase masks privately, or corporately for your business, Rosie has developed a mask making pattern at The Embroidery Barn – so you can contact her there directly.
Patrick Grant from The Great British Sewing Bee has launched a nationwide campaign call the Big Community Sew to get everybody on board with making facemasks. On their website they point out that there are around 6 million sewing machines in homes across the UK and if every one of those machines can be used to make just a dozen face coverings, that would be enough for every person in the UK!
Emma Scott says “We are so grateful to all our funders, and amazing team of sewers, it is very uplifting to see how many people there are out there who want to help. Whilst lockdown is very tentatively starting to be relaxed, we must remember that using a mask is just another added way of keeping each other safe. It is essential that we continue to maintain social distancing, wash our hands regularly and not to become complacent – and that we must still self-isolate if we show symptoms of the virus”.
The message of the Mask4All movement is simple – ‘My mask protects you – your mask protects me’.
The project has received sponsorship & support from Dorchester Town Council, The Embroidery Barn, Bonjour Café, The Brace of Butchers, The Repair Café, Dorchester Chamber for Business & Wild White Media.
You can contact M4AD on Facebook, or by emailing: [email protected]
