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Mothers' Union Membership in Action
The Mothers' Union membership mobilizes to support front line workers during COVID-19
06 May 2020
Across the United Kingdom and Ireland, local Mothers’ Union branch members have stepped up their support for their churches and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside finding new ways to meet in fellowship online they are crafting thousands of new essential items every week for the national effort, finding ways to protect key workers and reassuring the most vulnerable groups within society.
Taking Action
These members are working around the clock, safely in isolation but also in partnership. Local requests from front line NHS staff in hospitals are being heeded, as well as calls for assistance from staff in community care settings. Care homes, hospices and mental health facilities are just some of the sites being supported as our faith is put into action.
Mothers’ Union’s scrubs and scrubs bags help ensure that staff can remove all clothing and keep it safely in a separate bag. This reduces the risk of infection in the home, protecting key worker’s families and households. Care in the community such as this is an essential component of our movement.
Hilary Castle, Diocesan President of York explains further: “Luckily, because we use craft in many of our community projects throughout the year, most of our members have sewing machines and equipment … My branch alone has made over 200 items, everything we produce is washed at over 60 degrees and sealed in bags.”
Unprecedented Scale
The scale of the operation is inspirational. Across Yorkshire, well over a thousand items for frontline workers have been produced. Jean Thurman, Diocesan President for Leeds outlines the process:
“In the diocese of Leeds a thousand items have been made and distributed. We have been working with the local community and through partnerships to ensure what we’re making and doing is getting to where it is needed, quickly and safely.”
It is not just frontline staff within the community that we are supporting. In prisons too, the power of their partnerships is proving invaluable. Rosie Stiven, Diocesan President of Mothers' Union in Dorset and Wiltshire describes how their networks aid in creating an effective response:
“We’ve always had a strong connection with our local prisons so when the call came that they wanted to do their bit to support the community we just knew we had to respond. We are mobilizing our local branches to source sewing machines so that prisoners can make scrubs for frontline workers and feel actively engaged in supporting vital community work at this difficult time.”
As our organisation adapts, we continue to evolve our existing partnerships to overcome the obstacles that COVID-19 represents. By making sure that we continue to address current needs, our various groups are able to champion the most vulnerable in the communities they are a part of.
Showing extra Loving Care
In Llandaff, members have been showing a little extra loving care by producing knitted hearts for NHS Hospital Coronavirus wards. Liz Jones, Diocesan Vice President of Morgannwg Archdeaconry has already made and donated 14 pairs of hearts (some knitted, some sewn) to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, Llantrisant. Meanwhile other members have been providing hearts for Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil. Susan Rivers, Diocesan President for Llandaff said:
“Visiting restrictions during COVID-19 mean that many patients and their families are separated at the worst possible time, but hospital staff are trying to ease the pain by giving each family a special keepsake. Matching pairs of knitted hearts are given to the patient and their family, so that people can feel more connected with their relatives.”
The production of these hearts is giving hope and spreading love in hospitals, care homes and hospices, helping residents, patients and their families get through these difficult times. Various other branches across the UK and Ireland are working on similar projects.
In order to enable our membership to carry out these incredible acts of service we need to secure our finances for 2020. Therefore we have set up an urgent appeal. If you are able to give at this difficult time, please consider supporting us.