Supastitch scrubs up for COVID battle

A Wearside business is lending a hand in the fight against coronavirus.

Clothing alteration specialist Supastitch – which has shops in Sunderand city centre and Washington – has been making scrubs for frontline NHS workers since it was forced to close to the public.

Boss Diane Moran said the change of direction had followed a request for help from an NHS worker.

“We started about three weeks ago it is the first time we have done anything like this,” said Diane.

“We were approached by a nurse asking if we would do somehairbands,becausethey were having to wear masks all the time and the backs of her ears were we getting sore, so we did that. Then she asked whether we could make some scrubs, so that is what we started doing,” she explained.

“It was just something we wanted to do to help

“We have made about 300 so far and we have just had another hospital asking if we can make them 100, so we are on with that at the moment.”

Diane’s staff have been coming into the shop individually to help her with the work and she has been funding the cost of the necessary fabric herself.

“I can only have one of the girls in at a time, so they have been taking turns,” she said. “I have been cutting them out so they are ready to be sewn by whoever comes in.

“It is about £50 for 25 metres of fabric and we can get about eight sets out of that.”

Sourcing enough raw material for the work has been challenge and Diane says the rising cost of fabric means she will soon be forced to give up production.

“I think this next 100 is the last batch we will be able to do,” she said.”