Goodwood costume curator uses skills to make headbands for St Richard’s Hospital workers

Sue O’Donoghue, who found herself with time on her hands after she was furloughed, has made more than 110 special headbands for NHS staff forced to wear protective masks for work all day.

She said she came across the idea online in costume and theatre forums on social media.

“Nurses are getting very sore behind the ears because of the PPE,” she said.

“The elastic behind the ears can get really painful, to the point that they actually bleed.”

The headbands have big buttons sewn on either side which the masks can be hooked onto, taking the pressure off the ears.

Sue said a friend of hers, who is a nurse at St Richards, had got in touch asking whether she could help make any, and said she had received good feedback so far.

“I know they are finding it useful,” she said.

Goodwood has given Sue special permission to go onto the premises and use the department, where her sewing machine is based, as a base to produce the masks.

And that is not the only way she has been helping out.

Sue, who lives in Singleton, is also a keen breadmaker and after a request from the parish council, has been getting up at 5am everyday to make fresh bread for more vulnerable members of the community.

She said: “You just feel so helpless in this situation,”

“You don’t know how long it’s going to go on.

“Personally, it helps me if I see I’m doing something. Otherwise you can get quite low.”

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.