Change-Makers: The Maskateers

Coronavirus is something that has affected everyone all over the country this year. And NCS Grad Isobel wanted to do something about it. As part of our Keep Doing Good volunteering, Isobel teamed up with Crawley Town Community Foundation and some friends to create positive change in Crawley. 

“I noticed the rising number of homeless people on the street in Crawley and I wanted to help them keep them safe in the current health crisis” Isobel said. 

That’s when she decided to get some friends together and create The Maskateers. As a team, they made sustainable face masks to give out to the homeless population in their community. 

To ensure the masks were sustainable, they collected fabric from charity shops and their own homes, washed them thoroughly, and then used templates given out by the government to make the masks by hand. For Isobel, not only was this a way to create change for the community, but it gave her a new skill too! 

“I found making the masks the most challenging, as sewing isn't my strongest skill! I also used a sewing machine for the first time and then helped some of my group to use it” she said. 

The Maskateers were able to make a whopping fifty masks and then took to the streets. They set up a station where they handed out the masks for free, and also offered the opportunity to personalise the masks with fabric pens and stickers. Alongside the free masks, the team set up an optional donation pot, where they raised over £60 which they gave to Crawley Open House, a local charity which helps the homeless community. 

No only did the project help protect the people in Crawley, but it also helped to educate young people who stopped by on how to wear and use their masks safely and properly. 

Isobel thought the project was important not only for herself, byt said she “really felt like we were impacting our local community and keeping them safe. It’s really important to give guidance and support during this time, which is scary for many people”.

WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHERE YOU ARE?

If you want to get involved in volunteering and social action but don’t know where to start, why not join one of our Local Action Groups?

And if you’ve already taken part in a social action project that you’re proud of, let us know! Tell us all about it here.