A GWENT group which started out as a small team of sewers ten days ago has now taken on over 500 members in the fight to sew as many scrubs, ear defenders and headbands as possible for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.

Sew for Wales, in association with Aneurin Bevan Scrubbers, was thought up by a group of 18 people who wanted to make a difference to the NHS in its fight against coronavirus, but could not leave their homes often due to social distancing guidelines.

South Wales Argus:

Lucy Grace

Lucy Grace, from Newport, who is a committee member for the group, has explained how the group has not only delivered hundreds of items already to the NHS, but has also helped those in isolation to connect with their communities.

"We started out as a small group linked to the much bigger 'For the Love of Scrubs', and started sharing our work on social media," she said.

"Within a matter of hours it just exploded into mass interest, it's been unbelievable."

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The group now has hundreds of sewers, deliverers and other volunteers all playing their part in the pandemic relief effort.

"We had to scramble to organise ourselves really quickly once we knew the interest was so huge," Ms Grace said. "It's so heartwarming and astounding to see the power of great communities pulling together like this."

For Ms Grace, who is disabled and has spent much time in her own form of social isolation for the last decade, she also wanted to make sure people didn't feel they were on their own during lockdown.

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"This is what it's all about; making everyone feel part of a wider effort and helping them to feel connected, and in turn getting scrubs on backs - which is our key message," she added. "I hope we're helping people to feel connected when they might not otherwise have that chance."

After the items are ready to be delivered to Covid-19 wards, they are taken to delivery points in each town and village across the region, and are then transported to the hospitals.

Due to the scale of the intake of members, the group is asking for donations of fabric. You can find the website at https://abscrubbers.co.uk/.

To join the group, follow their Facebook page at Sew For Wales in assoc. with Aneurin Bevan Scrubbers