Masks on a Mission: volunteers doing their bit during Covid-19

A group of volunteers from across the region are putting their free time to good use during the Covid-19 emergency by making face masks for frontline healthcare workers, and they want more people to get involved.

The new group Masks on a Mission Ireland have made more than 1200 face masks in the last two weeks. A vital piece of personal protective equipment (PPE), face masks are becoming increasingly hard to source as the crisis escalates across Europe and the rest of the world.

Masks on a Mission Ireland was started by Clare Sweeney from Dysart, who put up a Facebook post ago looking for material and volunteers to help.

She was then joined by Mags Naughton and Mandie Rodge. Among those helping out is Clare’s daughter Amber, who is working with her mother, driving with her for pick-ups, updating the Facebook page and acting as her PA. At the time of writing more than 40 people were involved in the project and the numbers are growing daily.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, one of the volunteers from the Mullingar area, Cathy McGrath, said that she decided to get involved after seeing a post from the group on Facebook last Friday week looking for people to donate materials or to sow.

Coming from a “background of sowing and making stuff”, she quickly got started producing the important pieces of PPE.

Like many of us, Cathy is currently working from home, but is spending her evenings honing her mask-making skills.

Not only that, she has also recruited a large number of her friends and family in the project, including her mother and father, Josephine and retired TD, Paul.

“We have some people cutting out the fabric, some sewing and others collecting fabric from the generous public. A WhatsApp group was set up for the people sewing and videos posted show new members of the group how to do it so we not in contact with anyone physically.

“My father is cutting them out and my mother is sowing them. They are cocooning so it’s a little project for them and a way for the them to contribute.

“We are making two different styles – one where the elastic goes behind the ear, and the other where it goes at the back of the head. There are constant requests and the volunteers are doing an amazing job at meeting all of the orders placed.” Facilities that have received deliveries include Midlands Regional Hospital Mullingar and MRH Portlaoise, as well as nursing homes in Mullingar, Moate, Castlepollard and Limerick.

Cathy says that a number of local businesses and groups have contributed in different ways.

“Paul Brunton Furniture provided two 500-metre rolls of elastic, while Teresa Collentine from the Railway B&B on Dominick Street gave us duvet covers and a roll of elastic.

“Solaris Blinds (Mullingar) have donated fabric and allowed Lucy Hynes to use their industrial sewing machine to make the masks, while St Finian’s opened up and gave us any suitable fabric, thread and elastic that they had in their arts room.

“There is also have a motorbike group, the Brava Charlie Tango, who pick up the orders and drop them off. The response has been amazing.”

Cathy says that the group would love to see more people become involved.

“We are appealing for anyone who is willing to come on board. You don’t need to know how to sew. We need fabric (cotton – duvet covers are ideal), anyone who can cut out the fabric ready for sewing.

“We need people who are willing to be a collection point for the fabric and elastic. We have a team of people in College Hill sharing their skills, some people cutting and passing on the pieces to others who can put them together practising social distancing, of course – we are meeting each other in our drives and leaving what we need on each other’s doorsteps.”

Anyone interested in getting involved or donating materials can contact the group through their Facebook page, Masks on a Mission Ireland, or by email: masksonamissionireland@gmail.com.