[View this email in your browser]() # **Dec/Jan Scrubbery Newsletter** **The Scrubbery Newsletter for December & January**
We would like to wish you all a happy, peaceful and healthy new year. You may have noticed that there was no newsletter in December, this was because we were too busy, orders to complete and many items to deliver.

**Some of the headlines:**
Rosie and the team did another lay of blue cloth, this time for the Northwick Park NHS hospital trust. They reached out to Rosie to ask for “as many scrubs as we could deliver”, so it is all hands to the pumps to cut, bundle and sew – if you can pick any up that would be very helpful!
Another request for Wellbeing bags came in to Rosie from the Newham hospital Emergency Department – they are asking for over 200 for their frontline staff, so that effort is also still going on behind the scenes.

We have also been approached to supply scrub hats for charities working out in Zimbabwe. 

Rosie has been working hard to network with HM Prison service, to try and secure a practical solution to delivering scrubs and other items for the front line. This is part of our pursuit of sustainable manufacturing scrubs in the UK. Rosie has an appointment with the Wandsworth prison governor in February. A report will follow.

Rosie has been working with Maqq Rafiq from Airguard Medical Ltd in Wolverhampton, on several initiatives, but also would like to report on a situation they are facing. At the start of the pandemic they went through the lengthy and difficult accreditation procedure (no cushy VIP lane for Maqq) to produce disposable gowns to fulfil a request from the Government for these items. They kitted out their factory at considerable expense, over £100,000, driven by a motivation to help rather than profit. They provided opportunities for people from local communities to work, and started to manufacture thousands of disposable gowns. The government abruptly cancelled their contract leaving them with a backlog of stock and materials. They would like to use up the stock, and if possible, manufacture more using the remaining material, which is enough for 50,000 gowns, to clear their debt. They have 10,000 XL already finished and 20,000 XL ready to stitch. Rosie is approaching some of the London trusts to see if we can help here. Most of our regulars will know about Jane Andrews’ reflective and community building idea of taking time to reflect on life, and to share time with each other over tea and cake. Well, between her and Rosie they hosted, at the Scrubbery, a social event prior to Christmas which was greatly appreciated by everyone who came. In the two years we have been working together very few people have met one another, so this was the first real opportunity for the volunteers to come together at one time and place. If you would like to partake of anything similar in the future do please let us know. Here is Jane's report:

*On a chilly Friday morning in December we held a tea party. The Scrubbery has been running for almost two years now. Thousands of items have been sewn, kilometres of fabric have been cut, numerous packages have been delivered, many friendships have been made and countless healthcare workers have been supported, cared-for and thanked. So in the run up to Christmas, it seemed appropriate to take time to celebrate all that has been achieved and on 17th December Rosie and I hosted a tea party in the cottage garden.  * *Who would turn up? We weren’t sure, but concluded that even if it were only a few of us it would be worthwhile.  Should we cancel in the face of Omicron? We decided that outside would be safe.  Would it rain?  The forecast said not.  And, most importantly, would there be enough cake? I’m pleased to report that there was plenty. In the end all went well. It was a joyful occasion with much chatter, familiar faces and new meetings. Of course, the past two years has been difficult too and that can be more apparent than ever when Christmas is coming. So, in addition to a tea party we also offered a quiet walk with time for reflection, following the same route that Rosie often takes around the Bank of England grounds for exercise and thinking time. I provided instructions for a self-guided meditation to undertake while walking or pausing. Rosie and I both come from a Christian tradition and for those who have faith the meditation could have become prayer. However, we were keen that it be accessible to everyone and so I planned carefully to make sure the language of the meditation didn’t make assumptions about how one views the world. I hope those who took the walk were able to find a bit of peace and rest amidst the sometimes hectic preparations for Christmas.  If you enjoyed the event or would like to have been there, watch this space. Another tea-party and reflective walk are in the planning stages and we hope to see you there sometime in February. Rev. Jane Andrews, Parish of Putney.*

Feedback we had was really positive:

"It was a lovely idea and I thoroughly enjoyed the walk around the Bank of England grounds that I had never seen. I walked with two ladies I had not met and had a lovely chat and found we had a lot in common. Unfortunately I could not stay for tea but it looked delicious. A quiet few hours away from busy times."

"A very big thank you for the gathering in the Scrubbery cottage garden, it was lovely to meet some of the other volunteer sewers." **Milestones:** - We had an order from the Critical Care Technical Team for St George’s University Hospital. They needed a new scrub uniform designed to allow them to carry all the gadgets, phones, trackers etc that is part of the new normal for these teams. Rosie took inspiration from cyclists and designed them a new scrub top with large pockets across the back to allow all their equipment to be carried safely and not be frightened that it might drop out of normal pockets or end up pulling their trousers down with the weight of it all. Well done Rosie – another brilliant solution. - Roehampton Community Box, a charity related to Rackets Cubed, are working with 150 local families on the bread line and struggling to survive. We have donated food and made 300 masks for them. - We made 100 special Christmas bags for Age UK, who carefully selected the contents to provide each of their visitors with something special for Christmas, be that food or pampering.  - We were mentioned in the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability magazine back in 2020, writing us up as local heroes. This only just appeared in our inbox! **Other news:**
Some of the creative things we have discovered that some of our volunteers made before Christmas include :-

Hilary has been working behind the scenes on Brigid’s lovely but unfinished quilt. It has been a labour of love for them both – the quilt had been started by Brigid and her sister a while ago, was huge, and became a bit of a challenge to complete especially when Brigid had to downsize recently. Hilary has manfully worked on it through the summer. The glorious finished article is now back at the Hub so do come and see it.

Congratulations are due to Pam Gledhill on becoming a grandmother. Both mother and daughter are doing well.

Rosie also became a grandparent for the first time, and has been finding time to design and make some bespoke sheets and bedclothing for the baby’s crib. Her daughter Genevieve (Evie), who was the catalyst for the Scrub pattern and eventual founding of the Scrubbery, found time to crochet a lion for Pam, before herself having a baby boy in mid January. So we have an official Scrubbery Bubba.

We now have 4 Duke of Edinburgh candidates working at the Scrubbery, two more Evie’s, Millie and Grace. Another candidate came last week to see about volunteering with us. We wish them every success - it is so good to see the younger members of the team stepping up committing to the work of the Scrubbery.

**And an important thank you!**

At the end of January Lucy steps back from managing the machine team. Lucy has been  looking after the to and fro of the team for well over a year. She has been simply wonderful and has focussed on all the needs and activities of the team with a smile and a willing heart and we would like to thank her for all the time, effort and patience she has devoted to the Scrubbery. Lucy will continue to be involved, of course, but not managing the Machine Team day to day. **Can you help? How can we get more machinists and in-house volunteers involved?**

We do still desperately need machinists to help out – sewing, cutting, assembling, admin – some volunteers are returning to normal work duties and others are unavailable, so if you know of anyone in your neighbourhood, or if any of your friends might like to come and join us – we would love to help them get involved.

Rosie is happy to provide instruction and guidance, and there are various experts in the Group who could also be on hand to provide technical support – so don’t feel shy or that your sewing is not good enough. We have several people who have found new skills in lockdown! 

An initiative by the Parish of Putney St. Mary's with All Saints'