The inspiration of her nonagenarian mum has helped an Angus woman create hundreds of masks for her home village in a four-figure NHS fundraiser.
Julia Richards has mask provision for Glamis all sewn up after her creations have flown off the counter of the village shop.
Julia, 67, said she had been delighted by the local response – which will see £1,000 go to Whitehills Health and Community Care Centre in Forfar – after following the lead of her mum, Jean Back, who lives hundreds of miles away.
She said: “My mum was shielding down in Thanet in Kent and wasn’t really feeling all that grand but she came up with the idea of making masks to give herself something to do.
“She was a machinist all her life and her idea was to try to make 100 masks by the time her 91st birthday came round. Her birthday was on June 26 but she has just carried on and has now done 600.”
Julia added: “I am a crafter so I decided to do it as well using material from my own stock and donations from people in the Glamis area.
“I hoped I might be able to raise some money for the NHS and it just carried on for me too.”
Between them, mum and daughter have now produced more than 1,000 fabric masks.
Jean was part of one of the many group’s which sprung up around the country to produce PPE for local communities, with Julia’s effort a solo contribution to coronavirus campaign.
“I have posted some of my masks to family and friends, but most of them have been sold through the shop in Glamis so I am very grateful to them and everyone who has bought one,” said Julia.
Julia and husband, Steven have lived in Angus for around eight years after moving to the area to be closer to their grown-up children who live further north, and is particularly looking forward to seeing twin grandchildren who were born just as lockdown restrictions came into place.
