Helping "Hannah's Headbands"

I have found a sewing task I can do to help things along. I was unhappy about making masks. My neighbour up the street put notes through all our doors during the Easter Weekend asking for sheets and pillowcases as she is sewing scrub-bags. I delivered some bedlinen, and wondered about volunteering to help when I had done my other sewing jobs. Then a friend from the Parish church rang to tell me about her daughter's project, and asked if I'd publicise it through our church WhatsApp group. It's called Hannah's Headbands in Dorset. 
Hannah who started all this is in Norfolk and makes wedding/prom dresses, her company is Hannah's Gladrags. She heard that many medical personnel were finding it uncomfortable to wear masks all day, the elastic was chafing their ears. So she devised a simple headband, with a button either side. You put on the headband, and hook the mask elastic behind the buttons. Here's a nurse in her headband.

My friends daughter, down here in Dorset, picked up the idea - and now has people all over the county making the headbands. 

These nurses are at the wonderful Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital, where Bob was treated in October. RBCH has asked for hundreds. "But the problem is, finding inch wide elastic, and buttons about 20-25mm across. We are having to order from China" 

I have both of these in my stash, including some lovely beige elastic which was originally destined for sports underwear, and doesn't rub. I got it from the Scrapstore last year and used some for play costumes at school. And I have jars of buttons. And I have odd shirtsleeves and scraps of polycotton left over from making Memory Bears.

I sorted out some appropriate buttons and fabric, and once Kezzie's shirt was in the post, I set to to make headbands. On our daily exercise walk, I was able to deliver these twenty headbands to my friend. She was grateful - apparently the RBCH personnel are grateful for all the headbands, they really do make a difference - but had mentioned that not everyone wants a pink floral one! Do check out the facebook page- there is a lovely clip of Delighted Dancing Dorset Doctors [and nurses] 

Bob, meanwhile, has been building a coffee table to go in the summerhouse at Cornerstones. This is using scrap wood [panelling removed when UCF was refurbished 5 years ago] He's sanded it down and waxed it. The circular recess will hold the base of an IKEA Lazy Susan [which is waiting in Norfolk]

I was pleased to see that my friend has a basket of finished headbands in her porch - so that any of our local carers can help themselves as well - the headbands are not just going to the hospitals. Ferndown has a high proportion of older people, and dozens of care homes. This is a really good way to reduce my Great Stash of fabrics and haberdashery.