New College financial academy leader helps produce hundreds of face masks for key workers

By Ben Fitzgerald - 14 May 2020

HealthVolunteeringCollege & Higher Education

Zelda Culley, Financial Academy Pathway Leader and AAT Accounting Programme Leader at New College Swindon, has been doing her bit to help with the fight against Covid-19.

Every evening and all weekend, Zelda has been putting her sewing machine to work, creating wash bags, face masks and mask adjusters. She recently donated 65 wash bags and mask adjusters to ICU and the Shalbourne ward at GWH and a further 40 mask adjusters for other NHS staff and key workers. In total, Zelda has made 160 face masks so far for both key workers and members of the public, with a further 90 on order!
Everything has been provided free of charge to NHS staff and key workers, with the exception of the general public, who can pay a small contribution towards materials for face masks. For every mask sold, 50p will be donated to Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Zelda explained that it all started when a New College colleague shared a Facebook post with her from Wiltshire Healthcare Trust. The post was a call-out to anyone who is handy with a sewing machine and wanting to support local NHS teams. She was then further inspired by her niece, who is a dog groomer, and asked if she could make her a face mask. 

Zelda said: “All of this got me thinking about the key NHS workers, but then also non-NHS workers, who have to carry on without PPE. I have made free masks for Teachers, Bus Drivers, Refuse Collectors, Delivery Drivers to name but a few. In addition, I am making masks for the general public, with 50p from every paid mask going to Wiltshire Air Ambulance.”

Your Comments

Be the first to comment on this article

Login or Register to post a comment on this article

Subscribe to The Link

Registered in England & Wales. No: 4513027, Positive Media Group, Old Bank House, 5 Devizes Road, Old Town, Swindon, SN1 4BJ