As we find the rules around lockdown being relaxed and more options available to us for shopping and socialising, it’s really important to remember that the Coronavirus has not gone away: it’s still out there, and it’s still putting our lives and our NHS at risk.
To help with staying safe, the government recently announced that wearing a face-covering will become mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England from 24 July.
Most health experts agree that facemasks are a good idea: they won’t necessarily stop you getting the virus, but they will prevent you from accidentally passing it on to someone else. The science behind the facemasks indicates that woven fabric captures the moisture droplets which are believed to be the main cause of the virus spreading, meaning that anyone who is asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic can’t pass the virus on to others in public spaces.
Community Masks 4 NHS
Back in April, Cambridge-based Melissa Santiago-Val and her friend Jane Horwood got together to form Community Masks 4 NHS and along with over 50 volunteers, they have been making beautiful, colourful cotton facemasks to raise funds for the NHS. Using donated fabrics, these facemasks are washable and lined with a pocket so you can add a filter or muslin for extra protection.
They have already sold thousands of masks through their JustGiving page, and so far have raised over £30K in vital funding for the NHS.
Our volunteers are amazing!
Melissa is one of our highly valued Home-Start volunteers, providing dedicated support and advice to families in our area who are struggling with mental or physical health problems, social and emotional isolation. Without volunteers like Melissa, we wouldn’t be able to help our families through the toughest times towards a brighter future.
A selection of these wonderful masks has been donated to all our Home-Start families to help keep them safe during the COVID-19 outbreak. This has made such a difference to our most vulnerable families, providing them with the confidence to start going out and about and improving their mental health with the additional safety.
We are extremely grateful to Melissa and the other volunteers at Community Masks 4 NHS for their generosity and thoughtfulness in making these masks, helping to save lives and protect the NHS.
If you would like to find out more about Community Masks 4 NHS, you can visit their Facebook page here.
Become a Home-Start volunteer
Fancy being a volunteer for Home-Start?
- Do you see yourself as a Home Visiting volunteer?
- Or maybe you’d prefer the setting of Family Group?
- Better still you could offer your services as one of our Trustees?
Whichever you choose, you’ll be helping us to support local families when they need us most.