A team of volunteers, coordinated by the Royal Free Charity, have now created 20,000 surgical gowns for use at the Royal Free London.

Fashion and sewing experts, community volunteers and staff from the Royal Free London have come together over the past month in an amazing effort to create the gowns. 

While the trust is confident in its existing supplies, these gowns have made use of surplus material to help boost gown stocks at Barnet Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital.

Thanks to the support of the Royal Free Charity, the volunteers have been able to create hundreds of gowns per day. The charity have also helped to fund the project, paying for 35 new sewing machines.

The project has been set up by Caroline Gration, director of The Fashion School UK, who set about using her experience of running fashion and design training sessions for young people to do something positive for the NHS.

There has also been generous support from Wac Arts in Belsize Park. Housed in a stunning Grade II listed building, Wac Arts is a charity that provides performing arts training for young people. With their programmes currently closed, they have kindly made the building available to house the sewing team.