Face mask range launched by Long Melford seamstress raises £1,200 for Marie Curie

An accomplished seamstress from Long Melford has been left overwhelmed by the community’s support after launching her own range of personal protective gear to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Since launching the project last month, Elaine Butler has created around 800 non-surgical face masks, with all proceeds from the items being donated to Marie Curie, a charity which provides vital care and support for terminally-ill patients.

Keen to put her specialised skillset to good use during the crisis, Mrs Butler decided to craft her own face coverings to help support the community.

“I had lots of fabric and material left over, so I thought I would make some,” said the 63-year-old.

Delighted to have raised £1,200 from the sale of the masks so far, which are on sale from a makeshift stall outside her home in Roman Way, Mrs Butler said: “When it reached £1,000, I got tearful; I felt elated because I really didn’t expect that.”

Members of the community, along with staff from local businesses, have donated supplies of fabric and elastic, which has enabled Mrs Butler to create further face coverings.

“While the demand is there and people keep buying them, I feel that I still need to make them,” said the mother-of-two.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Mrs Butler helped to create medical scrubs for staff tackling the deadly disease at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, where her daughter, Laura, works as a mammographer.

“I felt I was doing something for a good cause,” she added.