19th December 2020

As the year draws to a close I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you all, once again, for supporting the Big Community Sew. This has been a terrible year for many but the wonderful efforts of volunteers like yourselves has been a rare positive to take away from it.

I’m incredibly proud of what The Big Community Sew has achieved. In a little over seven months not only have you made and distributed hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of face coverings but you’ve given purpose, hope, a sense of fellowship and taught new skills to countless people. And forged new communities up and down the country. You’ve shown that sewing is a skill to be valued, and that acts of kindness will make us all feel better.

Our fight against this pandemic is not over, but with Vaccines being administered as I write this letter it certainly feels like we have a route back to normality.

But what is that new normality. For many people volunteering has become a significant and very positive part of their lives. Post this pandemic there will continue to be, as there was before it, a great need for volunteers to sew all sorts of things for charities, community groups or other similar organisations right across the country. From incubator covers for hospitals to cloth bags for bereaved relatives, charities need our help.

So I am delighted to announce that within the next few days we will be launching a new phase in the life of The Big Community Sew, starting a new initiative that will build upon the goodwill created this year and form, we hope, a lasting legacy.

Going forward The Big Community Sew will have a simple aim;

to connect charities, community groups or other similar organisations who have an urgent need for sewing, with volunteers who will sew for them.

We are starting with a pilot in Birmingham which we hope to extend to the rest of the country very soon. Some of the projects that the Birmingham pilot are already working on include hats for the homeless, upcycled fabric bags, hospital gowns for young children, Christmas gift bags for kids, school uniform repairs and community bunting from upcycled clothes.

We will be launching a new, easy to use website which will guide you to charity sewing project in your local area, making it easy to find projects close to your heart. It will track the work that all our volunteers do, making it easy for us to measure the impact we make. And when we are able we will be organising physical get togethers for volunteers so we can meet, swap stories and share skills and tips running things like repair café’s and fabric swaps.

And I haven’t forgotten my promise of hugs for those who hit those big targets. We will arrange that once we are safely able to. I am very much looking forward to it.

The website is going live soon, so watch this space and we will be in touch soon.

Wishing you all a happy festive season

Patrick

2nd July 2020

It’s still less than two months since we launched the Big Community Sew and I can’t believe how quickly Britain’s sewing community has taken it to their hearts. Over 80 sewing groups have now signed up in support and every week we receive hundreds of messages from around the country telling us how sewing volunteers are supporting their communities. Such is the interest that sewing machines have been selling out everywhere!

Now that face coverings are compulsory on public transport, it’s become even more important to ensure there are sufficient coverings to go round – and I’m incredibly proud of how our sewing volunteers have risen to the challenge.

I’m also proud of how businesses across the country are getting involved. Aldi is backing the campaign and has donated 1,000 fabric bundles to the cause. Blackburn Rovers Community Trust is paying for fabric for volunteers to make face coverings and SPAR Northern Ireland has partnered with us to make 20,000 face coverings for local communities.

Together we are building a strong safety first culture and not only looking after neighbours and key workers, but also some of our most vulnerable communities. Through the partnership with Blackburn Rovers, for example, every person in Blackburn receiving foodbank parcels received a free face covering. Likewise, a partnership with Virustatic Limited and the Felix Project has seen 10,000 face coverings distributed to elderly people across London.

The kindness, creativity and dedication of sewing volunteers never ceases to amaze me – and there are so many people to thank. Shelagh’s Sewing Circle in Dronfield (lead by the wonderful Shelagh Cheetham) are one of many volunteering powerhouses. Shelagh’s group has made and donated over 25,000 face coverings. They are also working with software developer DC Tech with help from Salesforce to create a free app that will make it easier for sewing groups to accept, monitor and distribute orders. This is being rolled out soon. Marcelle Porteous, the founder of Brum Scrubs, is another inspiring figure doing amazing work to support frontline workers in the Midlands. So too is Naomi Betts in Wiltshire, who is aiming to get thousands of mask trees set up across Wiltshire so every community is provided for.

I don’t have the space to thank everyone. But the hugs I’ve promised mega-makers will be in the bank until better times are here. What’s especially moved me about the Big Community Sew is that it’s been embraced by both young and old. I’ve loved the fact children are sewing for the first time and I’ve heard many wonderful stories of grandparents getting stuck in too. The story of 89-year old Mary and her daughter Mo making face coverings for family, friends and neighbours in the Scottish Borders is one I won’t forget. Mary has dementia and the two have been self-isolating together, with her daughter telling me how the act of sewing has helped her mum.

In many ways they embody the spirit of Big Community Sew. Looking after and looking out for others. You are all wonderful. Please keep making – and keep sharing your stories.

With deepest thanks,

Patrick

21st May 2020

It has been over a week since we launched The Big Community Sew and I have been bowled over by the extraordinary response.

A great big THANK YOU to every single one of you who has made even one face covering for someone else. This simple act of kindness will allow them in turn to keep other people safe.

Very many of you were already sewing for your communities but many more of you have joined in.

We know that over 130,000 of you have visited the website, and over 3,000 of you have shared your makes using the #bigcommunitysew hashtag. Your stories have inspired many others to get involved.

Over 50 groups, from Shetland to Torbay, from Llanelli to Newry, have been in touch to say they’re making face coverings for their friends and neighbours. We’ve listed those who have shared their details on the website, but if you are part of a group and we don’t have your details please email info@bigcommunitysew.co.uk and we will add you to the list.

And to anybody who has been thinking about joining in but has yet to make that leap, please, get involved. Making face covering is ever so easy. They don’t have to be works of art, they just need to work. There are still thousands of people, including some of the most vulnerable in our society, who don’t have face covering. They may not know people with sewing skills, and even if they do they may not be able to afford the fabric and elastic necessary to make their own. The Big Community Sew want to get face coverings to everyone so we really need your help!

Finally I would like to send an extra special thank you to those people who have gone above and beyond; the mega-makers. To Lynda Nicklaus in Newry and Debbie Gooden in Sheringham who have each made over 1,000 coverings. You are AMAZING. There are hugs coming your way when this is over.

Tracey Wilmot in Helmsley has, with the help of husband Robert who ironed them all, made over 500 (PS Robert, let’s not leave it another 20 years before you pick up that iron again!). Samantha Brown from Wales High School in Sheffield has made over 250 for local carers and her school. And Natalie Smith from Walsall, who with engineering help from husband Ross who dismantled, repaired and rebuilt her sewing machine mid-way through (I’ve seen the pictures, it really was in pieces!), made over 250. She and her daughter Frey (7) have given them out to local care homes. An extra big thank you to you to you all.

Please keep sharing your stories, please send us your totals, and of course please keep making! You are doing something truly fantastic for your communities.

With sincerest admiration

Patrick

12th May 2020

I want to start by thanking Britain’s sewing community for the selfless and tireless work they have put in since we went into lockdown. Collectively this army of unpaid volunteers have sewn nearly a quarter of a million pairs of non medical scrubs, and countless scrub bags, hats, headbands and face covering for our health and social care workers. This has been achieved while juggling working from home, home schooling, raising small children, and dealing with all the other stresses and difficulties that the lock down as presented. I have been moved by many of your stories on social media. You are all amazing and I salute you.

But I want more of you to get involved. There are six million sewing machines in the UK, so there’s probably one on just about every street. If each machine were used to make just a dozen face coverings that would be one for everyone in the UK. (We could probably do with two.)

Sewing has a long history of rising to the challenge at a time of emergency – during the war, the Queen Mum held sewing bees in Buckingham Palace with the palace staff sewing to support a national effort – and now is no different.

I was incredibly moved by the way in which local communities came together at the start of the lockdown to look after one another, offering to run errands, or get shopping. I’d like any of you who have a sewing machine, and can make a covering, to find out who amongst your friends and neighbours needs one and make them one. If you don’t know how to sew, there couldn’t be an easier thing to learn to do.

And I know you can have fun with this. Some of my sewing friends who’ve made how-to videos have shown you the way; get the whole family involved, customise and jazz up your face coverings, get creative.

And please share pictures and videos of your makes with the hashtag #bigcommunitysew so we can see how you get on.

Patrick