Award for 'Covid hero' Taunton dressmaker who made PPE

Jenny Harrison was inspired to help after a friend who works in a hospital said how desperate they were for scrubs

A woman who made protective clothing for health workers during the early days of the pandemic said she feels very grateful to be given an award.

Dressmaker Jenny Harrison turned her hand to making scrubs and facemasks when they were in short supply.

She was part of a voluntary group called the Taunton Scrubbers and has been awarded the Somerset Medal.

"I just wanted to do something positive to help. I was just a small cog in a big machine," said the 66-year-old.

Ms Harrison is among the first recipients of the Somerset Medal, a prize introduced this year by Somerset County Council for unsung "Covid heroes" who helped their communities during the pandemic.

Ms Harrison drew on her skills of teaching soft-furnishing and dressmaking to make scrubs and masks

The Taunton Scrubbers was made up of volunteers and at its peak, there were around 800 people across Somerset making items such as clothing and masks.

She said that she had always enjoyed working with fabric and was happy to combine her skills with access to plenty of material to make the protective clothing.

"They went to all sorts of places, doctors surgeries, hospitals, care homes, anywhere that needed them. There was a very high demand," she said.

"It helped me too personally as I didn't want to just sit around doing nothing. Sometimes I was actually making them for people I knew," she added.

Community events

Ms Harrison also arranged community events to allow people to socialise safely during the pandemic, including a VE Day party and Christmas event to allow neighbours to meet at the end of their own driveways to talk.

"I'm very grateful to be recognised. I took it on expecting nothing so it's very nice," she added.