Volunteers from Macclesfield have been keeping the towns reputation for textiles alive by putting their sewing skills to good use and creating much-needed scrubs for local healthcare workers.

Helen Tams, a costume maker from Bollington, became one of the main coordinators of the volunteers in the local area and is appealing for donations to buy materials.

She explained to Nub News that she got involved with the volunteers in early April after she was informed of the "desperate need" of Croydon hospital in London and helped their staff out with some scrubs.

Helen said: "Whilst I was in the midst of doing that, I saw a Twitter post from Macclesfield Hospital to say, 'we're desperate and any scrubs would be great'."

After emailing the hospital she did not hear anything back, but heard of a Facebook group, 'For the Love of Scrubs', which is a national group which has been organising around 30,000 volunteer sewers nationally; this has led to local groups sprouting up.

The 24-year-old was put in touch with someone who was coordinating volunteers in mid-Cheshire who made scrubs for Leighton hospital and Helen was asked to help do the same for Macclesfield and the surrounding area.

Macclesfield resident Vicky Board got involved as a volunteer needleworker, first with the mid-Cheshire group, but when the need grew closer to home, she linked up with Helen and Joannah Ashton-Sykes to coordinate efforts locally.

"We teamed together, having never met each other, and got it moving," she said.

Some local businesses have been volunteering their services in the effort, with RA Smart in Bollington and Adeava Bridal in Macclesfield assisting with bulk cutting scrubs to increase volume.

On what motivated her, Vicky said: "I had done a textiles degree about 35 years ago and I'm kept at home because my husband is over 70 and I thought what can I do to help?

"I've got a daughter who's a headmistress, so she's got her school open for the children of keyworkers and another who is a pharmacist. I thought they've stepped up the mark and thought I would too. I've met so many lovely people doing it- I now have a network of crafty sewing people."

The crowdfunding to buy the fabric needed for the scrubs has raised £4,250 and any surplus will be donated to the NHS.

Helen said: "Now I think we've got 140 sewers for Macclesfield and we're helping children's wards, GP's, out of hours surgeries, district nurses, care homes and radiologists. This was on top of the 1,200 scrubs needed by Macclesfield hospital."

Such is the need for scrubs in some settings, that they are accepting materials such as patterned bed sheets.

Asked why she became involved, Helen said: "When I read about Macc hospital, there was no point where I thought, 'I can't do this', it was just, 'it needs doing, so why don't I do it'. I've got the skills and I can, so let's try.

"I never set out to be organising 140 sewers and creating things like spreadsheets, which I don't have much expertise in. You just get on with it really."

If you would like to help by donating money, you can do so via the groups crowdfunding page.